Two inmates indicted for murder in connection to separate EKY prison deaths
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- State police indicted Daleon Rice and Jeremy Brooks for separate inmate murders.
- Rice indicted on murder and first-degree persistent felony offender in Morgan Court.
- Brooks indicted on murder with second-degree persistent-offender status; no date set.
Two inmates at an Eastern Kentucky prison have been indicted on murder charges in connection to two separate incidents that left fellow prisoners dead, according to Kentucky State Police.
Daleon Rice, 45, was indicted Sept. 18 on charges of murder and first-degree persistent felony offender, state police said. He is accused of killing Robert Broyles Jr., 34, who was found unresponsive in his cell at the Eastern Kentucky Correctional Complex and later died Aug. 31.
Rice is also an inmate at Eastern Kentucky Correctional Complex.
Another inmate at the same facility, Jeremy Brooks, 45, was indicted on charges of murder and second-degree persistent felony offender Nov. 20. State police said the indictment was connected to the death of Ryan Rayburn, 27, who was found unresponsive in his cell and later died Sept. 30.
Both Brooks and Rice’s cases are ongoing in Morgan Circuit Court, according to court records.
Eastern Kentucky Correctional Complex is a medium-security institution in West Liberty that can house more than 1,900 inmates, according to the Kentucky Department of Corrections website.
Robert Broyles
Broyles Jr., of Louisville, was found unresponsive during the morning count in August, state police previously said. He was taken to Appalachian Regional Healthcare Hospital in Morgan County, where he later died.
State police initially said foul play was suspected, but Rice wasn’t named a suspect. According to a copy of the indictment reviewed by the Herald-Leader, Rice strangled Broyles Jr. to death.
Rice has been incarcerated since March 2016 on charges of attempted murder of a police officer, assault on a service animal, first-degree assault and first-degree wanton endangerment. WCPO, a Cincinnati news station, reported that in April 2015, he opened fire on a Covington police officer and his K-9 partner, injuring the service dog, while they tried to arrest him for stabbing his mother in the head.
Rice was sentenced to 40 years in prison for attempted murder, assault on the dog and first-degree assault. He also received a three-year sentence for the wanton endangerment charge, to be served consecutively.
He was arraigned for the murder of Broyles Nov. 20, and his next scheduled court appearance is Thursday, Jan. 22 for a pretrial conference.
Ryan Rayburn
Rayburn, of Ashcamp, was taken to Appalachian Regional Healthcare Hospital in late September after being discovered unresponsive in his cell. State police previously said he was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at the hospital.
State police initially said a person of interest was being investigated, but did not identify them. Brooks killed Rayburn by choking him, according to the indictment.
Brooks has been incarcerated since August 2008 on charges of complicity to murder, complicity to robbery, complicity to tampering with physical evidence, complicity to theft and complicity to fraudulent use of credit cards, according to the Kentucky Department of Corrections. He and his girlfriend killed a 69-year-old man and an unidentified man in Louisville in 2007, according to WAVE 3 News. He was sentenced to life in prison without parole for the crimes.
No court date has been set in Brooks’ murder case.
Broyles Jr. and Rayburn’s deaths were first of three foul play deaths that have occurred at Eastern Kentucky Correctional Complex in the last few months.
Just recently, Jan. 4, Marcus Gray, 49, of Corbin, was found unresponsive in his cell and later died at University of Kentucky Hospital.
State police previously said John Thomas, 32, of Burlington, is accused of assaulting and killing Gray. The case will be presented to the Morgan County grand jury at its next meeting and is being investigated by state police.
Trooper Zach Haney, public affairs officer for State Police Post 8, previously said there are no known connections between the three deaths.
