Opinion ID: 1090851
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Stabbing of Officer Cotton as told in 1990

Text: ¶ 3. The version of the stabbing the jury heard in the 1990 trial came primarily from the testimony of A.J. Smith, Christopher Womber, Calvin Lee, Sylvester Clark and Russell himself. ¶ 4. Smith testified as follows: He was an inmate floorwalker for Officer Cotton on July 18, 1989, and was helping Officer Cotton serve the last meal of the day to the inmates when the stabbing took place. Officer Cotton was trying to lock the door between Zone 2 and 3 in Unit 24-B when Russell stabbed Officer Cotton in the back with a knife. Russell and Officer Cotton wrestled and fought and then went up the stairs and fought again. Russell stabbed Officer Cotton again at this time. At this time Officer Calvin Lee came to Officer Cotton's aid, striking Russell with Lee's night stick. Then Officer Cotton got away from Russell and both he and Lee went to the tower and locked the door. Officer Cotton did not have a weapon, and all Officer Cotton had in his hands, while trying to fight off Russell, was a plastic food tray. Russell stabbed Officer Cotton four or five times. ¶ 5. Christopher Womber, another inmate, corroborated most of Smith's testimony and testified as follows: He was in cell 33 in Unit 24-B on the date of the stabbing. An MDOC Officer Jones arrived after the stabbing and asked for the knife and Russell gave it to him. Russell stated that Officer Cotton had been f king with him for three or four months. After Russell stabbed Officer Cotton the first time, Russell backed up, and then the two started fighting with the food trays. Russell could have followed Officer Cotton and Officer Lee into the control tower after the stabbing but did not, because there was a set of keys lying on the floor after the fight. ¶ 6. Calvin Lee, an MDOC officer working with Officer Cotton, testified as follows: He was in the control tower doing paper work while Officer Cotton was feeding the inmates with the Smith's help on July 18, 1989. The incident occurred about 6:50 p.m. At that time he heard a loud noise in Zone 3, like all the food trays had been turned over. Lee left the tower and saw Russell swinging at Officer Cotton with a knife and Officer Cotton swinging a food tray for protection and backing away. Lee went back to the tower, got a night stick, and went back to the two, ordering Russell to drop the knife. When Russell refused and continued swinging the knife, Lee struck him around his head and neck area with the nightstick, breaking the stick. Russell turned his attention to Lee momentarily, but then went back to fighting with Officer Cotton. Lee followed the two, swinging his night stick at Russell again. At this time Officer Cotton was able to get away and into the control tower, followed by Lee. Lee saw Russell stab Officer Cotton twice. ¶ 7. Sylvester Clark, an MDOC officer, received a call from Officer Cotton. Officer Cotton told him that he was having problems with inmate Willie Russell acting a fool over in B building. Officer Cotton sounded as if he was out of breath. Officer Clark and several other officers went to 24-B Building. When they arrived, Officer Cotton was sitting at his desk writing in the register. Officer Cotton pointed to where Russell was standing. Officer Clark saw Russell standing over in zone three all bloody with a sharp instrument in his hand and he was just standing there. Officer Clark went over to Russell and ordered him to drop the shank. Russell refused and yelled back, come on with it. Officer Clark started back to get a gun which shoots wooden blocks when an Officer Jones told him to wait a minute. Officer Jones then spoke to Russell and Russell gave Officer Jones the shank. Russell was then restrained and handcuffed. According to Officer Clark, Russell then stated, I stabbed that m.f. over there.... I told that m.f. that I was going to get him. After Russell was restrained, Officer Clark and the others went into the control tower and noticed that Officer Cotton was slipping out of his chair. They discovered at this time that the front of Officer Cotton's shirt was bloody. Officer Clark dialed the emergency number at Parchman. Officer Clark said he received Officer Cotton's call at around 6:50 p.m. ¶ 8. Rayford Jones, an MDOC officer, accompanied Officer Clark to 24-B Building when Officer Clark received a call from Officer Cotton. Officer Jones said Russell was standing in zone three and he had blood all over his body from top all the way down at least to his waist. ¶ 9. Russell testified at trial as follows: He was supposed to be out as a floor walker on July 18, 1989, the date of the stabbing, but Officer Cotton and Officer Lee would not let him out. This made him angry. He gave Officer Cotton twenty dollars to get him some yeast so that Russell could make some buck, or home made alcohol. Officer Cotton had done this for Russell before. This time Officer Cotton kept Russell's money and refused to bring him the yeast. This also made Russell angry. He had a discussion about it with Officer Cotton on July 18 about 6:15 or 6:10, which degenerated into an argument. Russell just got real mad and angry with him and lost control from the whole matter. He had a knife in his hand and I was intending to scare him with the knife. I didn't mean to stick him or nothing. He was facing me and I just lost all control and I stabbed him. I really didn't mean to stab him.... Before the fight Officer Cotton's left hand was in his pocket, and Russell thought maybe he might have a knife in his pocket. After he saw me and I was approaching him, when I was about three or four feet from him and he saw I was coming, he pushed his hand in his pocket. I don't know what he might have had a knife or something. I didn't really know but it kinda scared me. Russell had seen several other MDOC officers carry knives, and about a week before July 18 he had seen Officer Cotton with some kind of knife. ¶ 10. Approximately two hours after the stabbing, Russell was interviewed by Charles Rogers, a Mississippi Highway Patrol investigator. Russell gave a statement to Officer Rogers which was similar to Russell's trial testimony and includes additional matters not covered at trial. Russell stated that the grate to his prison door was rigged so that he could get out of his cell even when it was locked, and that was how he got out on this occasion. Russell once again mentioned Officer Cotton going into his pocket during their confrontation, and stated that he knew Officer Cotton carried a knife. The rest of Russell's statement, as to the main points of the stabbing, is similar to Smith, Womber and Officer Lee's testimony. Russell stated that he had been having trouble with gangs, but did not say specifically what kind of trouble. ¶ 11. This statement was excluded before trial by the circuit court pursuant to Edwards v. Arizona, 451 U.S. 477, 101 S.Ct. 1880, 68 L.Ed.2d 378 (1981), because Russell had first exercised his right to remain silent, and then MHP Officer Rogers, soon after Russell's first refusal to speak, questioned him again, without Russell having a chance to speak with an attorney, resulting in this statement. The State was allowed to impeach Russell with the statement at trial. The State's primary area of impeachment was to get Russell to admit that he had gotten out of his cell through the grate. On cross-examination Russell stated that during the stabbing he was not afraid but was out of control.