Honorable Kristen Clarke

U.S. Department of Justice

Civil Rights Division

950 Pennsylvania Ave, N.W.

Office of the Assistant Attorney General, Main

Washington, D.C. 20530

 

Dear Mrs. Clarke,

Markeith Williams was a 33-year-old African American male expecting release from the Mississippi (Parchman prison: Unit 29) Dept. of Corrections.  However, Mr. Williams was viciously murdered on October 10, 2022, by a white inmate. Michael Powell, a member of a white supremacist group was allowed out of his cell by a prison guard, in a locked down unit, to go stab Markeith Williams. Mr. Williams was sweeping the unit floor, when Michael Powell approached Williams from behind, and stabbed Markeith Williams over three times. The guard, after letting Powell out of his cell, immediately left the unit. Markeith Williams, after being attacked and stabbed by Michael Powell, was left on the unit floor for well over twenty-minutes before the guard and prison staff arrived. Mr. Williams died in the housing unit. Although violence is common in a prison environment, the events leading up to Mr. William's being murdered, are very questionable, and warrant an impartial investigation by the U.S. Dept. of Justice Civil rights Division. The facts are but not limited to: 

1)  It was a locked down housing unit with strict policies of no inmates allowed outside of their cells without prison staff escort/supervision. 

2)  The guard opened inmate Michael Powell's cell door, and immediately left the unit leaving inmate Powell, armed with a weapon, to go stab inmate Williams. Why did this guard open Powell's cell door, in a locked down housing unit, with inmate Williams already out of his cell sweeping the floor; and immediately exit the housing unit?

3) Inmate Michael Powell, prior to the Williams stabbing, had a documented institutional history of violence against black inmates. In fact, Powell had also previously attacked and wounded a black female prison guard by stabbing her in the face. Again, why was he let out of his cell by a prison guard, and left unattended?

4) Why was inmate Williams left in the housing unit where he died, after being stabbed by inmate Powell, for well over 20 mins?

5) Why have prison officials at Parchman, and the MDOC largely ignored inmate Michael Powells' violent attacks against black people?

6) Why did nine (9) days elapse before the prison administration contacted the William's family about Markeith Williams' death?

The above, and more, clearly warrants an independent investigation by the U.S. Dept of Justice's Civil Rights Division into not only the death of Markeith Williams, but the MDOC's knowingly allowing violent attacks against black inmates.

Based on the above facts, and more, we the undersigned hereby respectfully request an independent investigation be conducted by the Justice dept into the murder of Markeith Williams and the MDOC allowance of violent attacks against black inmates in the MDOC.

Respectfully submitted, the family of Markeith Williams

December 21, 2022