By Luca Powell
Richmond Times-Dispatch, Va.
RICHMOND, Va. — Five months before a fatal attack on a prison guard, a lieutenant at River North Correctional Center wrote an email to top leadership at the Virginia Department of Corrections, warning that a crisis was just around the corner.
The email was sent by former VADOC Lieutenant Jacob Murray, who resigned in July. It warned of “unsafe conditions” and asked leadership to “see their failures within the facility.”
“It is my personal belief along with several other staff and supervisors that RNCC is headed down a dangerous path that (will) see staff severely injured if not killed, and I won’t be part of such a grave failure in oversight,” wrote Murray.
The letter was sent to Murray’s warden, Kevin McCoy, as well as agency human resource officers and other leadership at the prison. It was also intended to reach VADOC Director Chadwick Dotson, but it’s unclear if it did because of a typo in his email address.
In November, Murray’s fears came true when an inmate at the facility attacked and killed Master Corrections Officer Jeremy Hall. John Holomon Russell, a prisoner serving time for a carjacking, is charged with multiple counts of murder and malicious wounding in his death, plus the injury of other prison staff.
Hall’s death was the first correctional officer death in Virginia in 50 years.
In a statement, Kyle Gibson, a spokesperson for the Department of Corrections, said the agency is committed to honoring Hall’s legacy of service and sacrifice in the line of duty.
“That commitment includes the continued support of his family during this tremendously difficult time,” Gibson said.
In response to Murray’s letter, Gibson said that the agency’s “top priority is the safety of our corrections team members and those in our custody and supervision — and the security of our facilities.”
Murray’s letter would have added to safety concerns that have been well-documented at the Virginia Department of Corrections. In November 2024, a consultant for the agency visited every prison in the commonwealth and told agency leadership that many were “dangerously understaffed.”
The report found that three prisons were under 50% staffing at that time, as well as repeated violations of safety protocols designed to protect both inmates and correctional staff.
“Prison staff safety can also be put in jeopardy,” the consultants wrote.
At the time, the Youngkin administration said agency leadership was maintaining “safe and secure facilities” despite staffing challenges seen in Virginia and nationwide.
In May, a group of alleged MS-13 gang members attacked and stabbed three correctional officers at Wallens Ridge State Prison, according to prosecutors. And a week before Hall’s death, an inmate died at Greensville Correctional Center after an attack by his cellmate, the agency said.
In his letter, Murray said he didn’t feel that staff are the priority within the department any longer.
“I can not and will not work somewhere that management’s personal achievements and statistics on audits and EWP’s supersede staff safety and morale,” Murray wrote.
In November, days after Hall’s death, the union that represents correctional officers said they’ve sounded the alarm on safety issues for more than a decade, but were ignored.
“These issues have been our highest priority since 2009, yet year after year we have been met with denials, misdirection, and deflection,” said Charles “Bubba” Craddock, president of Communications Workers of America Local 2201, which encompasses the National Coalition of Public Safety Officers.
The union supports Dotson, who they say has finally listened to concerns regarding officer safety.
—
© 2025 Richmond Times-Dispatch, Va.. Visit www.timesdispatch.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
