20 people charged after three inmates die in Ely State Prison fight

Over seven months after the Ely State Prison brawl, 20 people are now facing charges after three inmates were killed. The gang-related fight that happened on July 30, 2024 resulted in three inmates being killed and nine other inmates being injured. Two of the inmates killed were linked to the Aryan Warriors, a white supremacist group. The three deceased inmates, Zackaria Luz, Conner Brown, and Anthony Williams were stabbed multiple times with “prison-made” weapons. Luz was serving up to 18 years in prison for racketeering. Brown was serving up to 20 years in prison for robbery with a deadly weapon. Williams was serving life without the possibility of parole for habitual criminal and open murder.

The final arrest in the investigation was made on March 5th. According to the Nevada Attorney General’s office, the 20 defendants face charges of three counts of first-degree murder with the use of a deadly weapon with the intent to promote or assist a criminal gang and five counts of attempted murder with the use of a deadly weapon with intent to promote or assist a criminal gang. Attorney General Aaron Ford said “The pursuit of justice does not stop at the prison gates and those responsible for the deaths of the three inmates at Ely State Prison will be held accountable. We remain committed to ensuring that violence and misconduct within our state correctional system are met with the full force of the law.”

Since the brawl, several families have voiced their concerns about their incarcerated loved ones and overall security in the Nevada prison system.

As we reported last September, the Nevada Department of Corrections announced a change in custody levels between Ely State Prison and High Desert State Prison, in southern Nevada. Nevada Department of Corrections officials claimed the High Desert State Prison is newer and has more space. They would re-designate High Desert State Prison as a maximum security prison and transition Ely State Prison into a medium security facility. Two months later, in November, an inmate was stabbed to death at High Desert State Prison, which raised concerns about whether the facility was ready to handle the most violent criminals in Nevada.