By Estelle Atkinson
Las Vegas Review-Journal
LAS VEGAS — Two of the three inmates who were killed Tuesday at Ely State Prison have been identified by the White Pine County Sheriff’s Office.
In a news release from Capt. Todd Fincher, the sheriff’s office named 43-year-old Zackaria Luz, previously indicted as a leading member of a violent white supremacist prison gang in Nevada, and 22-year-old Connor Brown as two of the dead inmates.
The third inmate who was killed was not identified as the next of kin has not been notified, according to the release.
The sheriff’s office received a report about the altercation just before 9:45 a.m. Tuesday, according to the release. Medical personnel were dispatched to treat several injured inmates while detectives responded to investigate.
Along with the three inmates who died, nine inmates were hospitalized with wounds suffered in the flight, including several who were flown out of Ely to be treated, the release said.
The 4 Cs of inmate management: Maintaining order involves more than just searching and counting inmates and performing inspections. It involves understanding your inmate population.
In 2019, Luz was indicted alongside 22 other members of the Aryan Warriors, a white supremacist prison gang. The indictment was unsealed due to an investigation by a gang task force.
Prosecutors initially sought the death penalty for two of the 23 defendants accused of stabbing a fellow inmate to death in High Desert State Prison .
One of them, Tarik Goicoechea, ultimately had his death penalty case dismissed but later, after being indicted again by a grand jury, took an Alford plea.
Taking an Alford plea means Goicoechea admitted only that prosecutors had enough evidence to prove his guilt.
But according to Goicoechea’s attorney Kristina Wildeveld, Goicoechea was “found ‘hanged’” just days after being transferred to the Nevada Department of Corrections.
The other Aryan Warrior member facing the death penalty, Anthony Williams, instead agreed to a life sentence without the possibility of parole.
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