CHARLESTON, W.Va. — An inmate who killed another inmate at the South Central Regional Jail in 2018 will spend 18 years behind bars in addition to time he’s currently serving for a separate crime.
Nathan Smith, 42, of Elkview, was sentenced Wednesday during a virtual hearing in front of Kanawha County Circuit Judge Jennifer Bailey. He previously pleaded guilty to second degree murder.
Smith got into a fight with his cellmate Jeffrey Craig, 51, exactly four years ago on Aug. 31, 2018 and beat him to death. Investigators found Craig dead in his cell.
In the criminal complaint, Smith said he believed Craig had “weird eyes” and that he thought Craig would rape him.
Bailey said there were ongoing problems between the two that should’ve been resolved sooner.
“The victim and the defendant here had previous altercations and there were instructions that they shouldn’t have been housed together. Unfortunately, there were some things that occurred at the correctional facility that they overlooked,” the judge said Wednesday.
Smith is currently serving time at USP Hazleton for unrelated gun and drug charges. According to the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate search, Smith was set to be released in March 2024, but he will now serve 18 more years concurrently with credit for time served.
“No one deserved to die as a result of anything going on, period,” Bailey said.