A teenage murder suspect died from blunt force trauma to the head after being stomped to death inside the Hinds County Detention Center in Mississippi, authorities said. Mielun Butler, 18, was found deceased on July 3, two days after he was booked into the jail on a murder charge.
A video circulating on social media appears to show an individual kicking Butler while he lay on the floor of the jail. Hinds County Coroner Jeremiah Howard confirmed the cause of death, stating that evidence indicated Butler had been stomped, with apparent shoe prints found on his head.
Hinds County Sheriff Tyree Jones acknowledged the authenticity of the video and announced that a detention officer on duty during the incident has been placed on paid leave pending the outcome of the investigation. Jones suggested that the violence may be connected to gangs, noting that "some of the violence that we have been witnessing in our community has eventually spilled over into the jail."
Butler was being held on a $1 million bond for the fatal shooting of 32-year-old Melvin Edwards, which occurred last month. Butler was the second individual arrested in connection with Edwards' death. The incident at the jail occurred on the same day a Hinds County Chancery Court judge ordered the sheriff's office to release jail death records that had been previously withheld from the Southern Poverty Law Center.
Operational control of the Hinds County Detention Center was transferred to federal receiver Wendell France in October. A federal judge is scheduled to hold a hearing on Friday to discuss the conditions at the jail.