A federal grand jury in the Southern District of Mississippi returned an indictment that was unsealed yesterday charging two former Mississippi Department of Corrections officials with deprivation of rights under color of law.

According to court documents, both Jessica Hill, a correctional officer at the Central Mississippi Correctional Facility (CMCF), and Nicole Moore, a CMCF case manager, used excessive force against an inmate, including the use of dangerous weapons and resulting in bodily injury.

On July 11, 2019, Hill and Moore, while aiding and abetting each other and others, willfully deprived L.C. of the right to be free from cruel and unusual punishment. The indictment alleges that Hill struck L.C. with a canister and punched L.C. and that Moore kicked L.C., while L.C. was not resisting. 

If convicted, the defendants each face a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.

Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, U.S. Attorney Darren J. LaMarca for the Southern District of Mississippi, Assistant Director Luis Quesada of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division and Special Agent in Charge Jermicha Fomby of the FBI Jackson Field Office made the announcement.

The FBI Jackson Field Office is investigating the case. 

Assistant U.S. Attorney Glenda Haynes for the Southern District of Mississippi and Trial Attorney Eric Peffley of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section are prosecuting the case.

An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.