The sudden death of an inmate who allegedly killed a correctional officer demonstrates that "God is the ultimate arbiter of justice," according to a prosecutor. Prosecutor Russell Johnson released a statement early Tuesday following the death of Reginald Steed, who was charged in the first-degree murder of correctional officer Dustin Pedigo, 35, at another Tennessee prison in February. "I think there are equal amounts of shock and disappointment in something like this," Johnson wrote on Facebook.
"Obviously the initial shock at this unexpected turn of circumstances, but also disappointment that Steed will not have to face a jury trial where there certainly would have been a conviction given that the murder was captured entirely on video, plus the numerous letters, phone calls, and statements from Steed stating that he was intending to kill someone." Johnson, who intended to seek the death penalty in Pedigo's slaying, said the justice system would have probably doled out capital punishment to the 35-year-old accused killer given his criminal history, the nature of the crime and the victim's occupation. "But given time, realizing that it takes 30 years to execute someone in the State of Tennessee, the Pedigo family will welcome this outcome," Johnson's statement continued. "This morning’s event displays that God is the ultimate arbiter of justice on Judgement Day, and now His sentence has been rendered." An investigation into Steed's death is ongoing, the Tennessee Department of Correction announced Tuesday.
He was pronounced dead at 12:40 a.m. and had been discovered lifeless in his cell, Johnson said. Steed, who had previously been convicted of a 2015 shooting in Nashville, was serving a 27-year sentence for aggravated assault, especially aggravated robbery and attempted voluntary manslaughter at the Riverbend Maximum Security Institution, a 786-bed facility in Nashville. Steed had been transferred to the facility following Pedigo's slaying and placed under maximum security.
The fatal stabbing prompted a grand jury investigation regarding conditions inside the prison and an interim report found issues with cell locks, The Tennessean reported. Johnson said Davidson County District Attorney General Glenn Funk is now cooperating with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation in the investigation into Steed's death. "The investigation that TBI was already engaged in involving the circumstances of Steed’s murder of Corrections Officer Dustin Pedigo at MCCX is still ongoing," Johnson said.
A grand jury in Morgan County is expected to meet in early November regarding that case, Johnson said. Johnson previously announced in June he intended to seek the death penalty for Steed, who allegedly fatally stabbed Pedigo as the officer performed a check on the inmate's cell. Steed had pleaded not guilty.
Newsweek’s reporters and editors used Martyn, our AI assistant, to produce this story. Learn more about Martyn here. Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Jason Lemon and Gray R.
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