Attempted murder charge levied in jailhouse stabbing
LAS CRUCES - The Third Judicial District Attorney's Office filed an attempted first-degree murder charge against a Doña Ana County Detention Center inmate on Wednesday.
Police accused Eugene Bennett, 28, of stabbing a jail guard with a makeshift knife — or shank — last week. The guard was hospitalized in El Paso after the attack.
Bennett was charged in 2019 with shooting at a dwelling, aggravated assault and property damage. He was later found with methamphetamine in his cell at the detention center, according to police. Police said he also hit another inmate with a broomstick.
According to court filings, Bennett attacked the guard as medication was being doled out to inmates. A nurse, who was providing the medications, told police that Bennett is usually a very talkative person. But on the day of the stabbing, she told police Bennett was unusually quiet.
Related:Doña Ana County Detention Center officer reportedly stabbed by detainee
Video of the incident, as described in the criminal complaint, shows Bennett turning away from the guard, pulling something out of his pocket then lunging at the guard, knocking him to the floor.
Police say Bennett later told them that he feared the guards of the jailhouse were going to kill him. He said that stabbing the guard "needed to happen" and that he could hear guards laughing and joking about him through the vents of the building.
Bennett said he'd "written several people about the two-way mirror, how he was losing his mind and wanting to kill people," police said.
As for the weapon, Bennett allegedly said he found it in his cell a few days before the stabbing. He said the shank was wrapped in a torn Bible page.
When police asked Bennett if he felt bad about allegedly stabbing the guard, he said, "I don't feel bad about it," and accused the guard of terrorism.
Bennett was scheduled for a pretrial detention hearing on June 29. The hearing was originally scheduled for Friday, but the defense requested a continuance.
The guard was released from the hospital, according to Doña Ana County officials.
Justin Garcia is a public safety reporter for the Las Cruces Sun-News. He can be contacted at JEGarcia@lcsun-news.com or on Twitter @Just516garc
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