Man Accused Of Killing County Jail Inmate Released After Entering Plea

TUSCALOOSA, AL — A Tuscaloosa County Jail inmate accused of beating another inmate to death in 2021 is a free man after entering a plea deal on Wednesday that saw his manslaughter charge reduced to third-degree assault.

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Tuscaloosa native Laquinton Richardson was charged on Aug. 3, 2021, after investigators responded to the jail following a fight between two inmates — Christopher Lee, 26, of Tuscaloosa, and Richardson, who was 22 at the time of the incident.

According to the initial grand jury indictment, Richardson was accused of beating, kicking and stomping Lee after he went motionless and became defenseless. Both men were in the county jail on misdemeanor traffic offenses, with Richardson serving a 150-day sentence for attempting to elude law enforcement.

The physical altercation saw both men suffer injuries that required medical treatment, but Lee died hours later at DCH Regional Medical Center.

"A review the autopsy report along with the extended period of time between the fight and the death, makes it clear that the injuries from the fight did not cause the death," Richardson's defense attorney Hunter Brown told Patch. "The autopsy confirms the injuries from the fight were superficial. Rather, the death occurred as a result of complications from sickle cell over an hour after the fight took place. There is clearly not legal causation that can be attributed to Mr. Richardson as with regard to the death."

Following Lee's death, Richardson was subsequently charged with manslaughter, a Class B felony, before the charge was upgraded to murder by the grand jury.

However, court documents obtained by Patch show that Richardson entered a guilty plea to assault third degree on Wednesday — a Class A misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail and fines up to $6,000. He was then credited with time served for the offense.

"Assault in the third degree was ultimately what the defense and Office of the District Attorney determined to be the appropriate resolution to the altercation. Mr. Richardson served over a year and seven months in the county jail as a result of these charges," Brown explained. "Assault third-degree is punishable my a maximum of one year in the county jail. Mr. Richardson never intended to cause the death of the victim and the result is tragic."

Circuit Court Judge Brad Almond then approved a release order for the charge and Richardson was no longer listed in the Tuscaloosa County Jail online database as of the publication of this story.

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