South Carolina Inmates Charged After 4 Fellow Prisoners Found Dead

COLUMBIA, SC — Two inmates at the Kirkland Correctional Institute in Columbia are facing charges after four of their fellow inmates were found deceased in a housing unit at the institution Friday morning, according to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division.

Denver Jordan Simmons, 35, and Jacob Theophilus Philip, 25, have both been charged with four counts of murder. The charge carries a penalty upon conviction for each count of death or a minimum of 30 years to life in prison.

The South Carolina Department of Corrections identified the deceased inmates as Jason Kelley, 36, Jimmy Hamm, 56, John King, 52 and William Scruggs, 44. Scruggs was serving a life sentence in prison while the other three inmates were all due to be released within the next three years.

According to a warrant released by the law enforcement division, Simmons and Philip confessed to killing the four inmates. The warrant states that Simmons and Philip lured the four inmates into a cell where all four were strangled to death. In addition to being strangled, authorities said Ham and Kelley were also beaten with a broomstick.

The maximum security prison has faced problems in the past. According to the Post and Courier, in December and inmate was accused of assaulting two doctors in the prison's psychiatric hospital. According to the paper, correctional officers have also been accused of assaulting inmates at the prison. An investigation by the paper found that under-staffing at the state's prisons has led to dangerous conditions that affects not only the inmates and guards but also the public.

Image: Simmons and Philip via SC Department of Corrections