The correctional officer accused of killing an inmate pleads guilty

WASHINGTON (WSAZ) -A correctional officer charged in the death of an inmate has pleaded guilty.

Mark Holdren pleaded guilty Wednesday in federal court to his role in an attack linked to the 2022 death of an inmate at the Southern Regional Jail in Beaver, West Virginia.

Under his plea agreement, Holdren faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.

Mark Holdren, along with five other correctional officers and a former lieutenant, was charged with covering up the use of unlawful force against an inmate after he attempted to leave their assigned cell.

Court documents state that Holdren and two other correctional officers began using unlawful force to strike and injure the inmate while he was restrained and handcuffed. These court documents also state that two other correctional officers failed to intervene in the unlawful attack, resulting in the inmate’s death.

Holdren further admitted that the interrogation room where officers took the prisoner was a “blind spot” in the jail, according to court records, because there were no surveillance cameras to record it.

The trial of the remaining three correctional officers charged in connection with the inmate’s death is scheduled for Dec. 10.

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