SCRANTON, PA — In the Middle District of Pennsylvania, 50-year-old Lorenzo Scott, formerly of Rayville, Louisiana, was found guilty on Friday of assault with intent to commit murder and assault resulting in serious bodily injury. These charges emerged after a brutal attack on his cellmate within the confines of the United States Penitentiary (USP) at Lewisburg.
The three-day jury trial took place before Chief Judge Matthew W. Brann in Williamsport, where the harrowing details of Scott’s crime were laid bare. According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, Scott was an inmate at USP Lewisburg when he launched his fierce assault on his cellmate on March 25, 2015.
In a chilling display of violence, Scott repeatedly struck, stomped, and inflicted blunt-force trauma to his cellmate’s head. The injuries were so severe they were life-threatening. It was during a routine 4:00 a.m. patrol that a corrections officer discovered the horrifying scene. Scott was observed stomping on his cellmate’s head as the victim lay in a pool of blood on the cell floor.
Tragically, the cellmate succumbed to his injuries approximately two years and two months after the assault. Despite the fatal outcome, the initial charge of murder against Scott was withdrawn due to existing federal caselaw surrounding the “year-and-a-day-rule.” This rule prevents a prosecution for murder in cases where the victim dies more than a year and a day after the infliction of the wound causing the victim’s death.
During the trial, Scott himself testified and shockingly admitted that, without any provocation, he assaulted and intended to kill his victim. In light of such cases, a bill has been introduced in Congress aiming to abolish the year-and-a-day-rule in federal murder cases.
The case was meticulously investigated by the FBI-Williamsport Division and the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) Special Investigations Section (SIS). Assistant United States Attorneys Robert J. O’Hara and Kyle A. Moreno led the prosecution.
The charges of assault with intent to commit murder and assault resulting in serious bodily injury each carry a maximum sentence under federal law of up to 20 years of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. However, the actual sentence for a specific defendant like Scott is not solely determined by these statutory maximum penalties. The Judge must also consider and weigh several factors, including the nature, circumstances and seriousness of the offense; the history and characteristics of the defendant; and the need to punish the defendant, protect the public, and provide for the defendant’s educational, vocational and medical needs.
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