SIOUX FALLS, SD (KELO) — A Minnehaha County jury has decided the fate of two South Dakota prison inmates charged in the beating of a correctional officer at the state penitentiary last year. Both inmates have been charged with attempted murder.
Closing arguments took place Friday in the trial of Kyle Jones and Lester Monroe, who are both charged with attempted murder and aggravated assault.
During closing arguments, jurors watched prison surveillance video showing inmate Lester Monroe attacking the correctional officer only to be joined a short time later by fellow inmate Kyle Jones.
Prosecutors say together, the inmates struck the officer at least 70 times in the head, as he lay on the concrete floor of the penitentiary.
Prosecutors say Jones struck the officer 50 times, Monroe 20 times before other DOC employees arrived on the scene and used a Taser and pepper spray to subdue the pair.
The attack left the officer with a black eye, a swollen nose and face, plus cuts and abrasions. Prosecutors say the sheer number of blows to the officer shows the inmates had a blatant disregard for human life.
The inmates’ attorneys acknowledge a crime did occur on that morning of August 24, 2023… but say the attack did not rise to the level of attempted murder or aggravated assault.
Instead, it was a simple assault since the victim did not suffer any broken bones, did not lose consciousness and did not need to be hospitalized.
The defense attorneys also argued that the surveillance video did not show how many blows actually landed, or the force behind those blows.
The correctional officer who was attacked testified during this week’s trial and was in the courtroom during Friday’s closing arguments.
He tells KELOLAND News that he’s doing well physically but it’s been a difficult recovery mentally. He says he startles easily since the attack.
