Nearly a year after being charged and detained for the senseless murder of longtime St. Louis American employee Paul Reiter, 19-year-old Rico Paul is facing more charges after attacking a guard at the St. Louis City Jail.
According to KSDK.com, investigators say Paul punched a guard when that guard was trying to put the inmate back in his cell.
Later they discovered Paul had made a knife out of a piece of sheet metal from a broken light fixture, wrapped in a piece of cloth.
“It’s well known that the Division of Corrections and St. Louis Jail has had some problems. I was brought in three weeks ago to address those problems,” St. Louis Public Safety Director Eddie Roth told the news organization. “It’s very important that the people of St. Louis know that their jails are secure and that the people inside are being treated humanely and that the people who work inside them are safe.”
Donald M. Suggs, publisher and executive editor of The St .Louis American, released a statement regarding the attack:
“The St. Louis American has long advocated for effectiveness and fairness in the administration of criminal justice. The City of St. Louis often is badly wanting on both counts, and in recent years its Corrections Division has been a public disgrace on both counts. So the recent reported incident involving inmate Rico Paul comes as no surprise. Regardless of the charges brought against this young man and their connection to someone we loved dearly, we hope the administration of his case is effective and fair.”
Paul was arrested and charged for fatally shooting Reiter in the backyard of his residence last May when Reiter interrupted the burglary of a neighbor’s home.
Information from KSDK.com contributed to this report.
