U.S. Penitentiary Inmate Convicted of Voluntary Manslaughter of Another Inmate
Assaults by Prison Inmates Aggressively Prosecuted by Department of Justice

POLLOCK, LA—SHAUN WAYNE WILLIAMS, age 37, an inmate at U.S. Penitentiary in Pollock, Louisiana, was convicted by a federal jury today of voluntary manslaughter for killing another inmate, United States Attorney Donald W. Washington announced.

WILLIAMS was charged by a federal grand jury on September 24, 2008, in a one-count indictment charging him with the Second Degree Murder of William Anthony Bullock at the United States Penitentiary in Pollock, Louisiana. The November 2007, attack was recorded on the prison’s video camera system. WILLIAMS used a flat metal shank that he made himself from a part removed from a locker located in another cell.

WILLIAMS is currently confined at USP Pollock where he is serving a 98-month sentence for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. WILLIAMS faces a statutory maximum of an additional 15 years in prison when he is sentenced on December 1, 2009.

U.S. Attorney Donald Washington stated: “The aggressive position of our office on prosecuting assaults committed by inmates underscores the severity of violent prisoner behavior. The message to federal prison inmates is clear. This office has a zero tolerance standard for violence committed by prison inmates. When such violence occurs, this office will seek the maximum prison term allowed under the law.”

Sentencing in federal court is determined by the discretion of federal judges and the governing statute. Parole has been abolished in the federal system.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Robert W. Gillespie.