August 28, 2014

Two Inmates Indicted for Murder, Assault

SPRINGFIELD, MO—Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced today that two inmates of the U.S. Medical Center for Federal Prisoners in Springfield, Mo., have been indicted, in separate and unrelated cases, for murdering one inmate and assaulting another.

USA v. Hill

Jerry Scott Hill, 43, was charged with voluntary manslaughter in an indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Springfield on Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2014. Hill allegedly killed another inmate, Cyprian Adoh, during a sudden quarrel in the heat of passion by pushing his head into a wall. The resulting brain injuries caused Adoh’s death.

Hill is currently serving a 262-month sentence for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, with a release date of Jan. 24, 2029. Adoh was serving a 70-month sentence for Medicaid/Medicare fraud.

USA v. Kinningham

Dean Kinningham, 51, was charged with assault with the intent to commit murder in an indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Springfield on Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2014. Kinningham allegedly assaulted another inmate, Gary Brown, by stabbing and slashing him with a razor blade on June 4, 2014.

Kinningham is currently serving a 262-month sentence for armed pharmacy robbery, with a release date of March 31, 2030. Brown is currently serving a 170-month sentence for conspiracy to possess crack cocaine with the intent to distribute, with a release date of Feb. 25, 2015.

Dickinson cautioned that the charges contained in these indictments are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.

These cases are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Randall D. Eggert. They were investigated by the FBI and the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.