Vermont State Police have released the identities of the two incarcerated men who got into an “altercation” two weeks ago at the St. Albans prison, leaving one of them hospitalized in critical condition.
The Vermont Department of Corrections had released information about the incident on Dec. 22 but declined to name the parties involved and referred additional questions to Vermont State Police. At the time, corrections officials characterized the incident as an “assault.”
State police, who are heading an investigation into the incident, provided the names Thursday evening following a request from VTDigger.
According to state police, Jeffrey Hall, 55, suffered life-threatening injuries in the altercation that took place at about 2 p.m. on Dec. 22 at the Northwest State Correctional Facility. The incident was believed to have taken place in a cell occupied by Hall and Mbyayenge Mafuta, who’s 21, state police said in the news release Thursday.
Hall remained in critical condition Friday at the University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington, according to police.
Mafuta was not injured, the release stated. He is currently in segregation, and not in the prison’s general population, according to the corrections department.
In the initial press release, the corrections department said one incarcerated person — who was not identified — was in critical condition “following an assault” by another person in custody.
On Friday, Adam Silverman, a state police spokesperson, declined to use the term assault, referring to a press release that uses the term “altercation.”
“We’re just not able to characterize it at this point because our investigation is still ongoing,” Silverman said. “Assault carries with it certain legal connotations and we are not at a point yet in our investigation where we’re able to use that language.”
He said he didn’t know if a weapon was used in the incident.
Once the investigation is completed, the results will be forwarded to the Franklin County State’s Attorney’s Office for consideration of whether any criminal charges should be filed, state police officials said.
Mafuta was arrested in August after police said he vandalized 33 homes in Burlington, throwing objects through the windows that resulted in thousands of dollars of damage. He was lodged on a bail condition that would allow him to be released only into the custody of a responsible adult approved by the court, according to the corrections department.
A competency hearing for Mafuta in the cases against him is scheduled later this month.
Hall was taken into custody Nov. 13 on charges of petty larceny, driving a motor vehicle without the owner’s consent, and providing false information to police. He was held without bail, awaiting further court proceedings.
Since the incident, the court suspended Hall’s bail while he is hospitalized.
In addition to state police, the corrections department said it will conduct its own separate administrative review of the incident.
