Nine inmates at the Miami Correctional Facility are now facing felony charges after the November death of 36-year-old inmate J. Trinidad Ramirez. Prosecutors say Ramirez died following an assault inside the prison on November 26, 2025, and the case was handed to the Indiana State Police for a full investigation. The charges, filed March 12, 2026, range from aggravated battery and prisoner-possessing-a-deadly-weapon counts to homicide-related charges for one defendant. Authorities say the investigation is still active even as the cases begin moving through the courts.
What prosecutors allege
The Miami County Prosecutor’s Office has filed felony counts against inmates Na-Son Smith, Matthew Shepard, Sherman Thompson, Anthony York, Breon Davenport, David Holder, Victor Adamson-Scott, Aaron Sawyer and Tony Love, according to WIBC. Prosecutors allege the men were involved in an assault inside the facility and that weapons were used during the incident. One defendant is accused on the most serious homicide-related counts, while the others are charged with aggravated battery and weapons-related felonies tied to the attack that preceded Ramirez’s death. State police say the filing of charges followed months of investigative work that began last November.
Names and specific counts
The Miami County Prosecutor’s Office, as reported by Country Herald, identified 33-year-old Na-Son Smith as the inmate facing the most serious list of allegations. Smith has been charged with murder and voluntary manslaughter, along with multiple aggravated battery and weapon-related counts. The eight other men are charged with aggravated battery and prisoner-possessing-a-deadly-weapon, and several also face battery-with-a-deadly-weapon counts. Prosecutors say all of those charges stem from the same prison assault that led to Ramirez’s death. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.
How the investigation unfolded
Detectives with the Indiana State Police Criminal Investigations Division at the Peru Post opened their probe on November 26, 2025, after officials at Miami Correctional Facility requested assistance, according to Your News Local. The Miami County Coroner’s Office joined the investigation, and an autopsy was completed to determine the exact cause of Ramirez’s death. Authorities publicly described the case as an active, ongoing investigation and have released limited details while detectives continue to gather and review evidence.
At the facility
Miami Correctional Facility is a Level 4, high-medium security state prison located on the former Grissom Air Force Base. The Indiana Department of Correction lists the prison’s location and capacity on its website and notes that the facility includes multiple housing units and programs. Staff there are responsible for both custody and rehabilitative services for inmates, a combination that can complicate internal reviews when violence breaks out. In cases of in-custody deaths at large state-run facilities, county coroners and state police are typically brought in, which is what occurred in Ramirez’s case.
Legal next steps
With felony charges now on the books, the nine cases are set to move through Miami County’s court system as prosecutors prepare for arraignments and pretrial hearings, according to local reporting reviewed by WIBC. Court dockets and formal hearing dates were not immediately available. Prosecutors say the investigation remains active, and additional information could surface as the cases develop. Defense attorneys and the courts will handle bond issues, discovery, and scheduling as the legal process plays out.
