A service of Salisbury University and University of Maryland Eastern Shore
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Opening Arguments Set in Prison Inmate Uprising Trial

creative commons

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) - Opening statements are set in the trial of four Delaware inmates charged with murder, kidnapping and other crimes following a fatal prison riot.

Prosecutors also are expected to call their initial witnesses Monday in a trial expected to last two weeks or more.

The defendants are among 18 inmates charged in the riot. One inmate has pleaded guilty and agreed to testify against the others, who will be tried in five separate groups.

Inmates at the state's maximum-security prison rioted in February 2017, killing prison guard Steven Floyd and taking three other staffers hostage.

Two other prison guards were released by inmates after being beaten and tormented. A female counselor was held hostage for almost 20 hours before tactical teams burst through a wall with a backhoe and rescued her.

Don Rush is the News Director and Senior Producer of News and Public Affairs at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.