2 charged after inmate dies from brain injury at Plainfield prison

PLANFIELD, Ind. — Two inmates are being charged with felonies after a prison attack led to another inmate dying from a brain injury.

Julius Stokes and Damarayon Harrison are charged with aggravated battery, a Level 3 felony; reckless homicide, a Level 5 felony, and battery resulting in moderate bodily injury, a Level 6 felony.

According to court documents, on March 19, 2024, Devin Carter was punched in the face by Julius Stokes in a bunk room in Heritage Trails Correctional Facility. Security footage captured the punch that caused Carter to fall to the ground and crack his head on the hard floor.

Witnesses would later describe the sound of his head impacting the floor as, “a watermelon hitting concrete.”

Investigators reviewing the footage said Carter was out cold for several minutes before he started to move again. Carter could then be seen crawling around, bleeding from the mouth.

Carter reportedly crawled up to Harrison’s bunk bed but was met with repeated kicks from Harrison. Some other inmates eventually helped Carter to the showering area where a guard found him and took him to a medical room for a check-up.

According to court documents, Carter was able to walk into th medical building but his condition rapidly deteriorated and he lost consciousness. On March 25, a CT scan revealed Carter had no brain activity. He was pronounced dead the next day.

Carter’s mother told investigates that medical staff told her that her son experienced a “stroke in his brain stem.” Before his death, Carter had been diagnosed with “traumatic intracranial hemorrhage with unknown loss in consciousness.”

An autopsy later confirmed his cause of death as blunt force trauma to the head and his death was ruled a homicide.

Several inmates investigators spoke to confirmed the attack played out as seen on the security footage with Stokes punching Carter and the blow causing Carter to fall and hit his head on the ground.

Court documents reveal Stokes did not speak to investigators but Harrison did. Harrison claimed he was using his foot to push Carter away from his belongings and to keep Carter from getting blood on his belongings. Harrison said the action was “not intended to be a kick,” according to the court documents.

If convicted of a Level 3 felony, Stokes and Harrison could face up to 16 years in prison.

A booking photo of Damarayon Harrison was not available at the time of publishing.