South Carolina Inmate Found Guilty in Deadly Prison Stabbing of Another Inmate
February 16, 2024
Dana Butler, Jr., 32, was convicted by a Richland County Jury on Wednesday, February 14, 2024, of Murder, Possession of a Weapon during the commission of a violent crime, and Carrying or Concealing a Weapon by an Inmate for the stabbing death of 43-year-old Damon Doyle. The Honorable Robert Hood presided over the trial and sentenced Butler to Life in Prison without the possibility parole, as well as a ten (10) year sentence for the weapon charge that will run consecutive to the Life sentence.
On August 5, 2019, Butler, an inmate at Broad River Correctional Institution, already serving a thirty (30) year sentence for an unrelated Murder, got in a verbal altercation with the victim. Following the argument, Butler went to a friend’s cell and armed himself with a contraband shank before exiting the cell and stabbing the victim twice in the back and once fatally in the neck. Butler then chased and taunted the victim before he was able to exit the dorm for medical attention. Doyle ultimately succumbed to his injuries shortly after the attack. This stabbing was captured on surveillance video and provided to the jury to help aid in their verdict.
The Fifth Circuit Solicitor’s Office, represented by Assistant Solicitors Anna R. Browder and Samuel C. McGlothin, prosecuted the case. The investigation was conducted by the South Carolina Department of Corrections Police Services Division.