Vermont
Vermont man pleads not guilty to murder in jail attack
ST. ALBANS, Vt. (WCAX) – A man accused of killing his cellmate in a Vermont prison pleaded not guilty in Franklin County Court on Tuesday.
Prosecutors say Mbyayenge Mafuta, 21, of South Burlington, also known as Robbie, attacked Jeffrey Hall, 55, in their cell in December.
Hall later died and Mafuta was charged with second-degree murder.
In court paperwork, we learned that no one actually witnessed the alleged assault, but Corrections officers described odd behavior after Mafuta was released from a segregation unit to the general population unit in the days before the attack. Prior to the incident, Corrections medical staff noted that Mafuta made comments that he was hearing voices in his head and was throwing things in his cell.
Mafuta is no stranger to the police. We’ve been following the cases that police have connected Mafuta to dating back to 2021.
He was the center point of a use-of-force investigation in Burlington after police say he tried to break into a car and assaulted two officers.
He was also accused of breaking into a home, a carjacking and a vandalism spree, damaging more than 30 Burlington properties and causing thousands of dollars in damage in August 2022.
A judge ordered a mental health evaluation but where to safely hold Mafuta was in question. He eventually landed in prison at the Northwest State Correctional Facility in St. Albans where the alleged assault that led to Hall’s death took place.
Mafuta pleaded not guilty to a charge of second-degree murder on Tuesday. He remains behind bars and is expected back in court in October.
Related Stories:
Vt. man charged with murder in deadly prison fight
Vt. inmate dies from injuries in prison attack
South Burlington man charged with attempted murder in prison brawl
Inmate at St. Albans prison seriously injured in fight
Suspect in Burlington vandalism spree ordered to undergo mental health evaluation
Burlington man charged with vandalism spree
Copyright 2023 WCAX. All rights reserved.