Inmate Assaulted in Jessamine County Detention Center Dies

Published 2:27 pm Friday, March 25, 2022

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NICHOLASVILLE — Nicholasville Police said an inmate died Wednesday after being assaulted at the Jessamine County Detention Center.

Police said inmate Adam Duff, 34, who had been charged with 1st-degree assault and tampering with physical evidence in the attack on the inmate, faces new charges because the inmate he allegedly assaulted has died.

Police said Duff allegedly slammed the inmate against the wall, then choked and knocked that person unconscious — all actions recorded on security camera around 9:45 p.m. March 18. Duff then allegedly stomped on the inmate’s head multiple times before he pulled the injured inmate into the shower, allegedly stomping on his head four more times, police said.

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Both Duff and two other inmates, Matthew Phillips and Michael Hillegass, allegedly tried to clean the blood from the inmate from the beating and blood from the shower curtains, police said. Phillips, 31, and Hillegass, 39, were charged with tampering with evidence.

Police said the inmate sustained brain injuries and was in grave condition when he was taken to University of Kentucky Hospital.

Detectives were notified Wednesday by the Fayette County Coroner that the victim in the assault had died.

State Medical Lab performed an autopsy, but the results are still pending from the Medical Examiner’s Office.
Police said based on this new information, detectives are amending the charges on Duff sometime in the next few days. Duff is still in custody at the Jessamine County Detention Center.