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one Wisconsin A teenager who killed a correctional officer during a fight pleaded guilty to homicide on Friday but argued he should not be in jail because he was mentally ill and not responsible for his actions.
Javarius Hurd, 17, has pleaded guilty/not guilty due to mental illness to one count of second-degree reckless homicide in connection with the death of Corey Proulx, online court records show. He also admitted one count of assaulting a prisoner. Prosecutors waived a second battery count in exchange for the guilty plea.
Hurd’s next step will be a trial in February, where jurors will decide whether he should be jailed or committed to a mental hospital. Jurors will be asked to determine whether Hurd was indeed mentally ill at the time of the fight and, if so, whether the mental illness impaired his ability to act within the law.
“Javarius has entered into a plea agreement that partially resolves the case involving Proulx’s tragic death,” Heard’s attorney, Arton Nelson, said in an email to The Associated Press. “Javarius lived a life filled with trauma and pain, and he realizes that nothing can compensate his victims for their loss and pain. We hope this agreement will help heal all those who have suffered.”
According to court documents, Hurd was incarcerated in June 2024 at Lincoln Hills-Copper Lakes School, the state’s youth prison, in northern Wisconsin.
He became dissatisfied with a female counselor, believing she was abusing her power, throwing soap at her and beating her. Hurd ran into the yard and Proulx followed to stop him. Hurd punched Proulx several times, and Proulx fell, hit his head on the pavement, and died. Heard was 16 at the time but was charged in adult court.
Another inmate at the youth prison, Rian Nyblom, admitted two counts of assault in relation to the incident and was sentenced to five years in prison in August.
According to prosecutors, Niblom knew Hurd was upset with the female counselor and wanted to throw conditioner on her and hit her. About 15 minutes before the fight began, he got extra soap and conditioner from the guard and secretly gave it to Hurd. Niblom told investigators that he did not see Hurd attack the female counselor, but instead saw Hurd hit Proulx.
Lincoln Hills-Cooper Lake is Wisconsin’s only juvenile prison. The facility has been plagued by allegations of staff mistreatment of inmates, including excessive use of pepper spray, restraints and strip searches.
this American Civil Liberties Union A federal lawsuit was filed in 2017 calling for prison reform. then government Scott WalkerThe government settled the following year, agreeing to a consent decree banning the use of mechanical restraints such as handcuffs and the use of pepper spray.
Proulx’s death sparked calls from Republican lawmakers and Lincoln Hills-Copper Lake staff for greater leeway in punishing incarcerated children, but democracy government. Tony Evers has rejected the calls, insisting prison conditions are slowly improving. A court-appointed monitor overseeing the prison’s progress reported last October that the facility was in full compliance with the consent decree for the first time.
For years, lawmakers have tried to find a way to close the facility and replace it with a smaller regional jail. However, the prisons are still under construction and the Lincoln Hills-Copper Lake prison remains operational.