N’Kosi Parris
N'Kosi Parris, 34, was sent from the U.S. Virgin Islands to the privately run Tallahatchie County Correctional Facility in Tutwiler, Mississippi, where he was held in the custody of the Virgin Islands Bureau of Corrections. He was fatally stabbed during a fight between prisoners on April 9, 2026, and CoreCivic confirmed the stabbing and said the death is under investigation. Virgin Islands Senator Franklin Johnson, who knew Parris from Little League as a boy, says the stabbing involved another man from the territory and that the prison failed to classify and separate people with known conflicts. The Tallahatchie County coroner's account, as reported by a Mississippi newspaper, lists multiple stab wounds in a day-room brawl, and the manner of death is still pending.
Cause of death, as reported: Killed by another person in custody (neglect alleged). CoreCivic's spokesman confirmed he died from a stabbing during a fight between prisoners, and Senator Franklin Johnson says the prison did not properly classify or separate people with known conflicts.
Reported by: CoreCivic spokesman Ryan Gustin (the agency that held him); Tallahatchie County Coroner Anthony Hawkins (medical examiner or coroner); Virgin Islands Senator Franklin Johnson.