THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, July 6, 1995 TAG: 9507060359
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JOE JACKSON AND LAURA LAFAY, STAFF WRITERS
LENGTH: Medium: 97 lines
State Corrections Department officials acknowledged Wednesday that the inmate interviewed by state police about a gun found inside the typewriter of executed murderer Willie Lloyd Turner had been beaten. But they said the beating had nothing to do with the death row investigation.
The inmate, Michael Stokes, was severely beaten June 27 in an alleged retaliatory attack arranged by a correctional officer, Stokes' parents said.
Stokes suffered a concussion and wounds requiring 32 stitches when another inmate at Greensville Correctional Center in Jarratt ripped the lid from a foot locker and beat him with it as a correctional officer looked on, the parents said.
On Wednesday, state officials gave a different version.
``It's our belief at this point that the assault that we're investigating now had nothing to do with the Turner incident,'' said Corrections Department spokesman Jim Jones. ``He (Stokes) was in protective custody, and, in protective custody, we house two inmates to a cell.''
State officials did not comment earlier about the beating because ``we didn't want to interfere with the investigation,'' Jones said. ``But having seen the news reports, we felt it was important to clarify this at this time.''
Jones did not give further details. However, he said, ``within the next couple of days, we will have that investigation completed and will be able to tell you more.''
But letters written by Stokes and interviews before the beating raise more questions than provide answers.
Corrections officials said Wednesday that Stokes was interviewed about the gun soon after Turner's execution, but that he recanted after failing a polygraph test. But letters show Stokes tried to contact state police investigators and other officials after his alleged recantation. He claimed in some of the letters to know who had provided the gun to Turner.
Stokes, 35, is serving 73 years and six months for an armed robbery in Prince William County. He was one of 15 men who were housed with Turner on a protective custody tier at the prison.
Stokes' father, Larry Stokes, said Wednesday that the beating occurred June 27.
``He said the officers told him he should not have talked to the state police because they did not want nobody to know that this inmate had this gun,'' Larry Stokes said last week.
``They told him he would pay for it. And then they put this inmate in the cell with him. The guy immediately went crazy and attacked him. Just went crazy. And the officer . . . just stood there and watched.''
The Corrections Department launched an investigation of the beating Friday after learning about it from the state police, Jones said.
The Corrections Department initially investigated the discovery of the gun less than two hours after Turner's execution May 25. But the inquiry ended after 36 hours, with Corrections Director Ronald Angelone speculating that the incident was a hoax concocted by Turner's lawyer, Walter Walvick of Washington.
After protests from legislators, Gov. George F. Allen ordered the state police to conduct a second inquiry.
Jones said Wednesday that Stokes sent a message May 26 to prison officials that he had ``information that we needed to hear. He said he had seen Turner with a gun. We gave him a polygraph on the day he brought the information forward. Then he recanted,'' saying he had not actually seen the gun, Jones said.
Corrections officials turned their files over to state police investigators May 30 or 31, Jones said.
On May 30 and June 8, Stokes wrote letters to the Virginia chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union. On June 8 and 21, he wrote to the state chapter of Citizens United for Rehabilitation of Errants (CURE).
In those letters, Stokes said he had information about the gun, asked to meet with state police and expressed fear for his safety. In the June 21 letter, he enclosed a prison grievance form in which he said he feared ``serious/irreparable harm.''
Jean Auldridge, director of Virginia CURE, forwarded at least one letter to Walvick. On June 12 or 19, Walvick called state police about the matter, Walvick said Wednesday. ``They said that they had already spoken to Michael Stokes and that it was a waste of time for me to talk to him,'' Walvick said.
Walvick also told investigators he had been contacted by three or four other prisoners who said they had seen the gun. Neither Walvick nor state police released further details about the investigation.
Stokes was returned to the prison population Wednesday, his father said. Prison officials have told The Virginian-Pilot and The Ledger-Star as well as Stokes' parents that Stokes cannot be interviewed during the ongoing investigation.
``I got a phone call from an inmate at Greensville,'' Larry Stokes said. ``He wouldn't give his name, but he said he was calling for Michael because they won't let Michael use the phone. They said they put Michael back in D unit and they took away all his privileges because the story was on the front page.''
KEYWORDS: ASSAULT BEATING PRISONERS INJURIES by CNB