Months after two inmates were killed on consecutive days at Lee Correctional Facility, several other inmates have been charged in the deaths, according to the South Carolina Department of Corrections. In 2018, violence broke out at the same prison, killing seven inmates and injuring 17 others.
On March 13, prison officials said the South Carolina Department of Corrections Inspector General issued arrest warrants in connection with the deaths of Mario Leven Harrison, 37, and Xavier Martins Dresslin, 33, according to a news release.
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The South Carolina Department of Corrections said Trumaal Abdul Brown, 35, was charged after stabbing Harrison to death on Dec. 1, 2025, at Lee Correctional Facility. Brown was charged with murder, inmate carrying a concealed weapon and possession of a weapon during a violent crime, according to the release.
The South Carolina Department of Corrections said four inmates — Michael Jayvone Dennis, 28, Rickardo Davon Thompson, 34, Jarquez Kezavion Cooper, 28, and Cameron Christopher Williams, 30 — were charged on Dec. 2, 2025. He was charged for his role in the fatal stabbing of Dreslin. All four were charged with first-degree assault and battery by a mob resulting in death, while Dennis and Thompson were also charged with inmate carrying a concealed weapon and possession of a weapon during a violent crime, according to the release.
Died on December 1
The South Carolina Department of Corrections said Harrison was attacked by Brown in a common area of his housing unit and later died at a hospital.
After a verbal argument, Brown struck Harrison with his shin, according to the arrest warrant.
There is no information yet on the cause of the altercation between Brown and Harrison.
After the attack, Brown was transferred to the Kirkland Reception and Assessment Center. Brown was an inmate at Lee Correctional Facility after being convicted in January 2024 of trafficking methamphetamine and being a felon in possession of a firearm/ammunition, jail records show.
Died on December 2
According to prison officials, Dresslin, like Harrison the day before, was attacked in a common area of the prison’s housing unit. Unlike Harrison, Dreisline died in prison.
Arrest warrants show that Dennis and Thompson both stabbed Dresslin multiple times with homemade edge weapons while others simultaneously attacked the victim.
During the attack, Cooper and Williams punched Dresline in the face with closed fists, and others also struck the victim, according to the arrest warrant.
Jail records show Dennis (Kirkland), Thompson (Perry), Cooper (Perry) and Williams (Broad River) have all been transferred to other correctional facilities since Dresline was killed.
In 2020, Dennis was convicted of attempted murder, armed robbery, first-degree burglary and two counts of kidnapping in Richland County, jail records show.
In 2013, Thompson was convicted in Richland County court of multiple counts of armed robbery, burglary and assault, according to jail records. In 2015, he was also convicted of participating in a riot.
Cooper was convicted of murder and weapons charges in Greenville County in 2020, jail records show.
In 2021, Williams was convicted of assault and battery, armed robbery and weapons charges in Richland County, according to jail records.
No motive for the attack on Dreslin has been revealed.
Despite any similarities, South Carolina Department of Corrections spokesperson Chrysti Shain previously told The State the attacks were unrelated. Shane said the attacks occurred in different units of the prison and under different circumstances.
No other injuries were reported in either fatal attack.
prison
Lee Correctional Institution is a men-only divisional prison that houses inmates in “closed” (high-security) and “medium-security” facilities, according to the Department of Corrections. Lee, like other closed prisons in South Carolina, is “primarily intended to house violent offenders serving longer sentences and inmates exhibiting behavioral problems,” the Department of Corrections said.
The prison is located in Bishopville, about 50 miles east of Columbia.
The death of another inmate at Lee Correctional Facility earlier in 2025 was initially investigated as suspicious.
Leo Jermaine Cheeks, 40, was found unresponsive in his cell on May 9, according to the South Carolina Department of Corrections. An autopsy was performed days later and showed no foul play, causing the death to no longer be investigated as suspicious, the South Carolina Department of Corrections said.
history of violence
These attacks and the 2018 riot are not the only recent violence at the prison.
In September 2024, another inmate at Lee Correctional Institution was killed. Idris Wasim Ballard-Gallardo, 23, died after being stabbed inside the prison while in a common area of his designated dormitory, according to the South Carolina Department of Corrections.
Lee Correctional Institution has been the scene of other violent incidents in recent years. The state has previously reported several mass rebellions in which an inmate overpowered a guard and used his keys to free other inmates from their cells.
According to the Department of Corrections, another inmate assault on staff occurred in February 2020, when an inmate attacked and attempted to sexually assault an employee at Lee Correctional Facility.
In January 2021, an inmate at Lee Correctional Facility died after a fight with other inmates.
In another incident at Lee Correctional Facility in November 2020, an inmate died after being attacked by other inmates.