A man incarcerated at the Shelby County Jail fatally stabbed another inmate outside a courtroom with a “makeshift” knife, and now the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office is investigating security failures that led to his death.

SCSO announced Monday, Oct. 30, it has launched an internal investigation into the “tragic event.”

“The Bureau of Professional Standards and Integrity is focusing on internal failures that led to this unfortunate incident, while command staff is reviewing changes, improvements, and training that we hope will prevent such an occurrence in the future,” the statement read.

Man charged in fatal stabbing of jail inmate

Donnie Clay, 21, allegedly killed Deion Byrd, 25, Oct. 26 just outside of Shelby County Criminal Court Division 1 Paula Skahan’s courtroom.

It’s still unclear how Clay got the knife or how he was able to make it past security without it being detected. SCSO also has not made Sheriff Floyd Bonner Jr. available to address additional questions about security at the Walter Bailey Criminal Justice Center, more commonly known as 201 Poplar. The sheriff’s office is responsible for security and operations inside of the Downtown justice complex.

The two men were standing handcuffed near a holding cell when Byrd accused Clay of breaking into his home, which Clay denied. Byrd spit in Clay’s face, the affidavit details, and a fight ensued.

“Clay said ‘I’m gonna kill you now’ and pulled a sharpened piece of metal from his waistband and chased Byrd into a nearby interview room a few feet away,” according to the affidavit. 

Byrd was stabbed at least once in the neck, according to the affidavit. He later died at the hospital.

‘It’s amazing how ingenious people can be at hiding things’

Victor Lofgreen, a certified forensic litigation expert on jail and prison issues, said it’s relatively common for weapons to make it into those facilities and that it isn’t necessarily an “indictment” of security when it happens. 

“There are all kinds of methods of hiding things on a person’s body and in a person’s clothing,” he said.

“There are all kinds of methods of hiding things on a person’s body and in a person’s clothing.”

Victor Lofgreen

A few scenarios he referenced: An inmates’ family members or associates could bring something to them, an inmate might bring something in with them when they are booked or they could get a tool from contractors working at the facility. 

Lofgreen also said inmates can obtain items when they leave the facilities to attend court hearings.

The more movement there is at a facility, the greater chance there is for contraband to make its way in. 

A minimum security prison that allows prisoner work-release, for example, may see more weapons come in because they are constantly coming and going, he said.

The same is true for jails, like 201 Poplar, because people are constantly being booked and bonding out, he said.

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“It’s amazing how ingenious people can be at hiding things,” Lofgreen said. 

He also said it’s common to see inmates make weapons from ordinary items, like the one Clay allegedly used to kill Byrd.

It’s unclear what the knife was made from. The affidavit only says it was a “sharpened piece of metal” and it was “makeshift.”

Byrd, who was one of more than 40 inmates to die at 201 Poplar since 2018, was one of the suspects indicted for his role in a smash-and-grab theft ring targeted by the Memphis Police Department. The results of the MPD sting operation, which was dubbed “Operation Broken Bottles” and announced June 26, resulted in more than 20 arrests. 

Clay was indicted May 16 for rape of a child.

He has since been charged with first-degree murder and possession of and taking contraband into a penal facility. He appeared in court on the new charges Monday, Oct. 30.

‘Everybody is happy until something happens’

While it might be common to see weapons in jail, judges said it's rare to see them make it to court.

In her 37 years working in 201 Poplar, Skahan told The Daily Memphian she had never seen anything like the courtroom stabbing, which she called a “disaster waiting to happen.”

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“And it did happen,” Skahan said. “The inmates, some of them, especially with mental health issues, do not like their attorneys. They don’t like the judges. They’re paranoid.”

Shelby County Criminal Court Division 8 Chris Craft said the stabbing was concerning because inmates are supposed to be checked for weapons before entering the courtroom.

Craft, who has been on the bench since 1994, said he has never seen anyone make it that far from the jail with a weapon.

“We weren’t concerned before because everyone was supposed to be checked,” Craft said. “Everybody is happy until something happens.”