Death penalty trial begins for NC inmate in prison attack

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A death penalty trial has begun for the first of four North Carolina inmates accused of using scissors and hammers from a prison workshop to kill four workers and hurt eight others during a failed escape attempt.

The Virginian-Pilot reports that armed police surrounded inmate Mikel Brady as video of the gruesome aftermath was replayed in court.

Former Pasquotank Correctional officer Scott Stormer testified that he and other responding guards found the inmates attacking an officer in October 2017. Stormer said he felt a punch to his back during a scuffle with an inmate, only to later realize he'd been stabbed.

The inmates were ultimately surrounded and caught. WTKR-TV reports an Elizabeth City police officer testified he was hit with the "odor of pure blood" upon arriving.