Troy Kell was sentenced to death and remains on Utah Death Row for a prison murder
According to court documents Troy Kell was eighteen years old when he would murder James “Cotton” Kelly, whose real name was James Thiede, after he was stalking Kell fifteen year old friend Sandy Shaw. Troy Kell would be sentenced to life in prison without parole in Nevada
Troy Kell would be transferred to Utah under a prisoner exchange program. Soon after Troy and Eric Daniels would murder Lonnie Blackmon at the Utah Department of Corrections Gunnison facility. Lonnie Blackmon would be stabbed sixty seven times
Eric Daniels would be sentenced to life in prison
Troy Kell would be sentenced to death
Troy Kell Photos
Troy Kell FAQ
Where Is Troy Kell Now
Troy Kell is incarcerated at Utah State Prison
When Is Troy Kell Execution
Troy Kell execution has yet to be scheduled
Troy Kell Case
Troy Kell stabbed fellow inmate Lonnie Blackmon (Blackmon) to death on July 6, 1994. Prior to the attack, defendant, a white supremacist, had been involved in race-related altercations with several African-American inmates, including Blackmon.
¶ 3 On the day before the killing, Troy Kell and two of his accomplices, Eric Daniels (Daniels) and Paul Payne (Payne), submitted medical request forms to visit the prison’s medical facility. In addition, Daniels forged a medical request form in Blackmon’s name so that Blackmon would be transported to the medical facility at the same time defendant and his accomplices were being transported.
¶ 4 Moments before the attack occurred, Troy Kell and Blackmon were moved from the upper tier of the building at the CUCF where they were housed to the lower tier where they awaited transfer to the prison’s medical facility. Both defendant and Blackmon were placed in double locked handcuffs fastened to a belt around the waist. Their feet were not placed in shackles so that they could safely descend the stairs from the top tier of the cell block. By this time, Daniels had also been moved to the lower tier to go to the medical facility. Payne’s request to go to the medical facility had been denied because he was in punitive isolation on the top tier of the cell block. Nevertheless, at his insistence, Payne was permitted to shower on the lower tier of the cell block rather than in the showers located on the second tier of the cell block, where his cell was located.
¶ 5 While descending to the lower tier, defendant removed his handcuffs with a partial handcuff key that had been altered with a homemade handle made from melted plastic utensils. Defendant also produced a shank.1 Blackmon was standing with his back to defendant talking to other inmates, when defendant began to stab him repeatedly in the neck, eyes, face, back and chest. Defendant was free to use his unrestrained hands and arms during the attack, but Blackmon could only kick at his attackers to defend himself because he was still in handcuffs that were attached to his waist. Blackmon’s efforts were futile in any event because Payne choked and punched him and Daniels held onto his legs during the attack.
¶ 6 For over two and a half minutes, defendant slashed Blackmon with his shank, inflicting sixty-seven stab wounds, only two of which were described by the forensic examiner as being capable of inflicting death in the short term. Despite Blackmon’s pleas to stop, defendant continued the assault and, in fact, after walking away, returned twice to inflict more wounds, until Blackmon lay motionless on the floor of the cell block. Blackmon bled to death and defendant was charged with aggravated murder.
https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/ut-supreme-court/1321790.html
