3 charged in SC prison killing in June; 3 more stabbed Sunday

Three state inmates are facing murder charges for their alleged involvement in the killing of a fellow prisoner and attempted murder charges for another’s injuries at Lee Correctional Institution in Bishopville.

South Carolina Department of Corrections investigators say Terrance Griffin, 29, Quintin Lumpkins, 20, and Michael Wylie Jr., 27, were involved in the June 22 killing of Ae Kingratsaiphon, a 35-year-old inmate who was sentenced in 1999 to life in prison for murder.

The announcement by state officials comes just days after three other inmates were stabbed in a separate incident, which took place on Sunday in the same dorm where Kingratsaiphon was killed. All three were taken to area hospitals for treatment. Two remain in the hospital, agency spokeswoman Stephanie Givens told The State newspaper.

Both stabbing incidents took place at one of the most problematic dorms of the one of the state’s most notorious and largest prisons. Lee Correctional is a maximum security facility that is currently housing an estimated 1,300 inmates.

Givens declined to elaborate further on Sunday’s stabbings and security and manpower at the facility, citing an ongoing investigation.

“The safety and security of staff and inmates is of the utmost importance,” Given said in a written statement. “Corrections officials are working to address staffing levels to maintain proper security protocols. The incident at Lee on Sunday is currently under investigation and will be reviewed when complete.”

An incident report, which could provide additional details concerning Kingratsaiphon’s stabbing, was not made public on Tuesday. According to arrest warrants, however, Griffin, Lumpkins and Wylie went into Kingratsaiphon’s cell with “homemade edged weapons” and stabbed him “multiple times,” causing his death.

Christy Crosby, a close family friend of Kingratsaiphon, decried the agency’s failure to protect him and the rest of the inmates who have been stabbed in the same dorm.

“If the contraband team did their searches correctly, there would be no knives to stab each other with,” Crosby said. “How long does this have to keep going on? Something has to change.”

Jack Swerling, a Midlands criminal defense attorney, said disputes and fights in prisons are an unfortunate consequence of having the same people confined in the same space day in and day out. He questioned, however, the frequency of the incidents in the same dorm.

“I would want to investigate what’s going on in that dorm to see if whether or not any of this is related to gang activity, because I think this a particularly unusual situation to have in the same dorm,” Swerling said.

Griffin, Lumpkins and Wylie were moved out of Lee to Kirkland Correctional Institution in Columbia on July 8. All three are also facing attempted murder charges for the alleged stabbing of Anthony Major, an inmate who was in the same cell as Kingratsaiphon. Major was rushed to a local hospital for “life-saving procedures,” according to the report. His current condition has not been made public.

Records show Wylie has been in prison since 2012, for several charges out of York County, including attempted murder and attempted armed robbery. Lumpkins has been in prison since 2014 for robbery and assault convictions out of Orangeburg County. He tried escaping while in custody in 2014, according to his prison report.

Griffin has been serving a sentence for voluntary manslaughter out of Charleston County since 2008, according to records. He was also charged with an attempted escape in 2010.

This story was originally published July 19, 2016 at 2:49 PM with the headline "3 charged in SC prison killing in June; 3 more stabbed Sunday."