Tommy Joe Smith, of Louisiana died after being beaten up by 12 fellow inmates

A sheriff and warden did little to protect a prisoner at a Louisiana jail who was brutally beaten to death by 12 other inmates, a federal lawsuit filed by the dead man’s family, charges.
Relatives questioned why Smith, a sex offender, was placed in the lockup’s general population instead of an isolation unit.
An eyewitness compared what happened to Tommy Joe Smith at the Tangipahoa Parish jail to a “shark feeding frenzy.”
“We’re distraught,” niece Karly Varnado told the Times-Picayune. “His daughter was his whole world. His son now has to grow up without even knowing his dad.”
Relatives of the 40-year-old Smith filed a lawsuit against Sheriff Daniel Edwards and warden Stuart Murphy on Tuesday. Edwards is the brother of Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards.
“They were kids,” Varnado said.
“He got murdered by 11 inmates who were way younger than him. Our family is absolutely destroyed.”
The twelve inmates in the Louisiana jail are facing murder charges after the beat Smith who was jailed on a probation violation, to death in what other inmates previously described as a ‘shark feeding frenzy.’

The Tangipahoa Parish Jail in Amite City, Louisiana –  A dozen inmates attacked one man, Tommy Joe Smith. An in-house investigation later determined there was very little deputies working at the jail could have done during the attack. Smith’s family disagrees and filed a lawsuit

The Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office said in a news release the inmates were charged Tuesday in connection with the January 30 killing of  Tommy Joe Smith inside the parish jail in Amite City, northwest of New Orleans.
Smith, 40, from Independence City had been placed in a two-story dorm with 21 other inmates that day.
Investigators say Smith was told by inmates on both floors he wasn’t welcome.
Smith was jailed one year ago for a probation violation stemming from his 2015 conviction for a sex crime, which is not specified in the suit. Smith was not segregated from violent prisoners in the jail even though they knew his criminal history increased his risk of being attacked, according to the lawsuit.
At night inmates were free to move between cells, according to the lawsuit. Twelve inmates attacked Smith early on Jan. 31 of last year.

L-R Parade of alleged jailhouse killers: Tyquan Davis [left], Antwon Seymore [second left], Ronald Faulkner and Travis Robertson [right]

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Charged in the death of Tommy Joe Smith: Herman Bagent [left], Brent Collins and Lionel Brister [right]

Authorities say Smith tried to notify a deputy but as he turned around to defend himself, he was brutally attacked my multiple offenders and had his shoes stolen.
Eleven inmates are charged with second-degree murder and obstruction of justice.
A juvenile inmate is charged with being principal to second-degree murder.
The sheriff’s office said the attack was extremely brutal and very quick.
When the deputy observed the attack, jail staff responded within minutes and found one of Smith’s attackers trying to give CPR on Smith’s lifeless body.
‘News of this unprovoked and heinous attack is extremely troubling,’ Sheriff Daniel Edwards said. Eleven inmates are charged with second-degree murder and obstruction of justice.
A juvenile inmate is charged with being principal to second-degree murder.
The sheriff’s office said the attack was extremely brutal and very quick.
When the deputy observed the attack, jail staff responded within minutes and found one of Smith’s attackers trying to give CPR on Smith’s lifeless body.
‘News of this unprovoked and heinous attack is extremely troubling,’ Sheriff Daniel Edwards said.

Charged with 2nd-degree murder: Randall Holmes, [left], James Milton, [second left], Eric Newman, and William Patterson [right], all face murder charges in the Jan 30, 2017 jailhouse beating death of Tommy Joe Smith

The sheriff’s office said following the attack that staff members regained control of the dormitory “within minutes.”
“Unfortunately, due to the number of individuals involved in the altercation, along with the incident occurring within a secured environment, our victim was limited with an escape,” Sheriff Edwards said. “This type of environment provides many limitations when taking into account the safety of staff, emergency medical responders, as well as the inmates themselves.”

Smith reportedly was trying to find a place to sleep in the dorm area. His assailants on the second floor said he wasn’t welcome and ended up ganging up and beating him to death

A grand jury indicted 11 men and one juvenile on manslaughter charges in Smith’s death. The charges are still pending.
Smith died of blunt force trauma to the head, and his family was advised that an open casket “would not be possible,” according to the lawsuit.

Gallery of killers charged with 2nd-degree murder: [top row L-R]  Herman Bagent, Brent Collins, Lionel Brister,  Randall Holmes,
[Middle row L-R] James Milton, Eric Newman, William Patterson, Tyquan Davis,
[Bottom row [L-R] Antwon Seymore, Ronald Faulkner, Travis Robertson, and one juvenile [no photo] who is charged with manslaughter.

Faulkner and Robertson were accused of stealing the victim’s shoes during the attack and hit with additional second-degree robbery charges.
The juvenile, who was in jail on an unrelated homicide charge, was booked with being a principal to second-degree murder, authorities said. According to the Sheriff’s Office, the juvenile was being held in the parish jail and in a dorm with adult inmates, instead of a juvenile detention center, because he is to be tried in court as an adult.