A Superior Court judge sentenced three inmates Friday for their roles in the 2017 Vaughn prison riot, which resulted in the death of correctional officer Lt. Steven Floyd and other individuals taken hostage.
- Dwayne Staats, 37, sentenced to two life sentences in prison plus 153 years for his conviction on two counts of Murder First Degree, Riot, two counts of Assault First Degree, four counts of Kidnapping First Degree, and Conspiracy Second Degree.
- Jarreau Ayers, 38, sentenced to 123 years for his conviction on Riot, two counts of Assault First Degree, and four counts of Kidnapping First Degree, and Conspiracy Second Degree.
- Royal Downs, 54, sentenced to three years for his guilty plea to Riot to be served at the conclusion on his life sentence in Maryland.
All three were already serving terms of life in prison for previous Murder First Degree convictions.
The convictions came after numerous difficulties in prosecuting the case, due to the lack of cameras in the unit, damage to the building and conflicting accounts.
Deputy Attorneys General John Downs, Brian Robertson, and Nichole Warner prosecuted the Vaughn trials with the support of paralegal Stacey Coupe, social workers Crystal Pitts and Donna Lindsey, investigator Willie Santiago, and administrative assistant Evelyn Davis. Sgt. David Weaver and a team Delaware State Police Homicide Unit investigators led an investigation in the aftermath of the riot Attorney General Jennings released the following statement after the sentencing:
“We are grateful for the hard work that prosecutors, investigators and staff did to find those responsible for the riot and to present the strongest case that the state could under tremendously difficult circumstances. Above all else we continue to think of the Floyd family, Patricia May, Winslow Smith, Joshua Wilkinson, and the staff of the Department of Correction, all of whom have suffered incredible grief and endured a long, arduous process over the last 31 months.”
Correction Commissioner Claire DeMatteis issued the following statement:
“Although today’s sentencing brings some measure of accountability for the crimes committed on February 1, 2017, those who have been impacted feel strongly that under the circumstances no sentence handed down today can fully serve the interests of justice or lessen the pain and loss felt by the Floyd family who have forever lost a husband, father, brother and son. The Department of Correction family has come together today to support the Floyd family and our colleagues who continue to feel deeply the loss of a respected correctional officer and friend. Lt. Floyd’s service and his sacrifice are never far from our hearts and minds.
In his honor, today and every day, we recognize the incredibly demanding, difficult and dangerous job of supervising offenders in our correctional system and honor the exceptional men and women of the Delaware Department of Correction who do that work with professionalism and excellence every day.”
DeMatteis was part of a panel that looked into the uprising at the prison on the southern edge of New Castle County. The panel found problems with staff shortages, excessive overtime and other issues.
Gov. John Carney later opted to transfer some inmates to Pennsylvania prisons.
