A member of a notorious white supremacist gang was identified as one of three inmates killed during a massive prison brawl in Nevada this week, the state’s Department of Corrections said.
Anthony Williams had been serving out a life sentence when the fight exploded Tuesday inside a maximum security prison in rural Ely. He agreed to the punishment in 2021 so he could dodge the death penalty for his role in the slaying of fellow inmate, Andrew Thurgood, in February 2016, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.
The other inmates killed in the chaos were identified earlier this week as Connor Brown, 22, of South Lake Tahoe, Calif., and Zacharia Luz, 42, of Las Vegas.
All three of the men died of stab wounds, or “multiple sharp force injuries,” County Sheriff Scott Henriod said Friday.
Authorities have so far released few details about the brawl. They’ve said it was gang-related, but declined to offer further comment.
“This is an ongoing investigation,” Henriod noted.
Both Williams and Luz were among 23 reputed members of the Aryan Warriors, a violent Nevada-based street and prison gang, indicted in a sweeping racketeering case in Las Vegas involving murder, drug trafficking and identity theft in 2019.
The case also tied Williams to Thurgood’s stabbing at High Desert State Prison in southern Nevada. He later pleaded guilty to open murder and being a habitual criminal.
Luz, a street captain for the Aryan Warriors, was sentenced to 18 years in prison for his conviction on felony racketeering and forgery charges, according to the Department of Corrections.
Brown, meanwhile, was serving a seven- to 20-year sentence for robbery with use of a deadly weapon. He was sentenced in 2021 after pleading guilty to stabbing a gas station clerk and a casino patron in downtown Reno the year prior.
With News Wire Services
