An 18-year-old murder suspect, Mielun Butler, died in a Mississippi jail after being severely beaten by a fellow inmate, according to authorities. A disturbing video circulating on social media shows Butler's motionless body being stomped on.
Butler was arrested on July 1 by U.S. Marshals and Jackson police in connection with the June killing of 32-year-old Melvin Edwards. Days after his arrest, Butler was found unresponsive at the Raymond Detention Center. He was transported to Merit Health Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
An autopsy confirmed that Butler died from blunt force trauma to the head, with visible shoe mark injuries indicating he was repeatedly stomped on. The inmate who filmed the assault could be heard in the recording saying, "say long live Melvin," as he attacked Butler.
Hinds County Sheriff Tyree Jones stated that while the motive is not yet clear, Butler's death is part of a recent increase in violence in the local community, which he attributed to gang activity and conflict resolution.
Butler's bond had been set at $1 million. He was described by Judge Jeffrey Reynolds as an extreme danger and a flight risk. According to Butler's defense attorney, he had recently graduated from high school and was employed at a fast-food restaurant, with no prior publicly reported criminal history.
An unidentified officer has been placed on paid administrative leave as the Mississippi Bureau for Investigation conducts an internal review of the incident.
The Raymond Detention Center has been under federal receivership for several months due to issues including an increasing number of pretrial detainees and a rise in violent incidents. A federal judge ordered the receivership in July 2022, citing conditions that led to seven deaths the previous year. The center has faced numerous lawsuits concerning unconstitutional conditions and a failure to ensure inmate safety.
The Southern Poverty Law Center has filed a complaint against the Hinds County Sheriff's Office after repeated, unanswered requests for records pertaining to inmate deaths at the detention center. The organization welcomed a recent court order compelling the Sheriff's Office to release these records.