Rubyn James Murray
Rubyn Murray, 38, died on July 26, 2023, at a Montgomery hospital after being held at Elmore Correctional Facility in Alabama. The Equal Justice Initiative says he was beaten in a holding cell after a sergeant allowed other incarcerated men in, and court papers reported by WSFA describe a similar sequence in which a sergeant let two men into a holding cell where he had been placed. The Alabama Department of Corrections says two men gained access to the holding area where he was waiting, that the death is being investigated as a homicide, and that the cause is pending an autopsy. The sergeant's role and the circumstances that led to the holding-area access remain disputed in the accounts available.
Cause of death, as reported: Killed by another person in custody (neglect alleged). Equal Justice Initiative says a sergeant let two incarcerated men into the holding cell, where they beat him, and court documents say the same; ADOC says the cause is pending an autopsy and that two incarcerated men and a former officer have been charged.
Reported by: Alabama Department of Corrections (the agency that held him); Equal Justice Initiative (advocates); court documents.
News reports (7)
- Former corrections officer, two inmates charged with murder of Elmore inmate
- Elmore correctional officer, 2 inmates charged with murder of third inmate
- Corrections officer, two others charged in death of inmate at Elmore Correctional Facility
- Sergeant Arrested in Murder of Man Incarcerated at Alabama’s Elmore Prison
- Alabama correctional officer among 3 charged with inmate’s homicide
- New details in murder case against former Alabama prison sergeant
- Man Killed in Faith Unit at Elmore Is Fifth Alabama Prison Homicide Victim in Three Months