One inmate kills another in a brutal assault at a Central Kentucky jail, police say
An inmate who was attacked by another inmate at the Jessamine County Detention Center has died, according to Nicholasville police.
The assault took place on March 18, according to court documents. An arrest citation alleges Adam Duff, 34, attacked another inmate inside his cell, ultimately leading to his death on Wednesday.
The victim was Michael Lemay, 51, of Lancaster, according to jailer Jon Sallee. Jail records say Lemay was booked into the jail on March 7 and was charged with public intoxication — controlled substance, drug paraphernalia — buy/possess, criminal trespassing and disorderly conduct.
Sallee said Duff had been put in isolation after the deadly assault. He said this incident was “unfortunate,” but also said fights inside jails are difficult to prevent.
“You put a bunch of guys in a cell that are probably in the worst part of their lives or are dealing with some serious issues and have things going on outside they have no control of, tempers are always going to flare,” Sallee said.
Duff slammed Lemay against the wall, choked him, slammed him on the bed and punched him in the face, according to the arrest citation. Lemay was allegedly knocked unconscious. While unconscious, Duff stomped on his head repeatedly, according to the arrest citation.
Duff allegedly moved Lemay to the shower so he could clean up the blood on the floor, according to court documents. Duff again stomped on his head repeatedly.
The entire incident was caught on surveillance footage, according to court documents.
Lemay suffered a brain bleed and was taken to University of Kentucky Chandler Hospital in grave condition, according to court documents.
Duff was originally charged with first degree assault and evidence tampering, according to court documents. Nicholasville police say his charges will be updated in the coming days.
Duff was originally incarcerated on a receiving stolen property charge.
This story was originally published March 25, 2022 at 7:36 AM.
