Inmate accused of killing corrections officer at southwest Virginia prison

An inmate at a prison in southwestern Virginia is accused of killing a prison guard and injuring two others in an attack earlier this week.

John Holomon Russell, 32, is accused of killing Officer Jeremy Lewis Hall, 40, in an attack at 7:53 a.m. Monday at River North Correctional Center, the Virginia Department of Corrections said. The prison is in Independence, Virginia, just across the border from North Carolina.

Officer Hall was pronounced dead at a local hospital, while the two other officers involved in the attack were treated and released. The Department of Corrections did not identify them or offer any details as to what happened during the incident.

The cause of Officer Hall’s death was also not specified, and officials did not specify what charges Russell will face for his alleged role in Officer Hall’s death. Officer Hall was a Department of Corrections employee since April 2024.

“The Virginia Department of Corrections will never stop saying Officer Jeremy Hall’s name, and the people of Virginia should never forget him. As our agency and our public safety heroes at River North Correctional Center continue to process this unspeakable tragedy, please continue to keep Officer Hall’s family and friends in your hearts and minds,” Virginia Department of Corrections Director Chad Dotson said.

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, a Republican, wrote on social media Monday that “Suzanne and my prayers are with the family of the officer killed this morning in the line of duty and the other officer injured … The facility is secure and the criminal investigation is underway. God bless all the men and women who put their lives on the line every day as Virginia Department of Corrections officers.”

The Fairfax County Circuit Court sentenced Russell to 15 years with 8 years and 1 month suspended for a 2017 carjacking, and three years for use of a gun in that carjacking. The Albemarle County Circuit Court sentenced him to 4 years and 8 months with 2 years and 8 months suspended for shoplifting in 2015, Virginia corrections officials said.