An inmate at West Virginia’s only maximum-security prison received a life sentence after a conviction in the killing of another inmate, prosecutors said.
Paul Thompson, 56, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and received his sentence during a hearing Tuesday, according to a news release from the Fayette County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.
Prosecutors said Thompson was already serving a life sentence at the Mount Olive Correctional Complex for prior convictions of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit robbery in Marion County.
According to prosecutors, Thompson “fatally assaulted” another inmate in March 2025 with “an improvised weapon after a disagreement.” Investigators said Thompson admitted to carrying out the attack and claimed the victim made sexual advances.
Prosecutors said the victim “sustained severe head injuries during the attack, including skull fractures.”
The West Virginia Office of the Chief Medical Examiner ruled the death a homicide. Officials placed multiple Mount Olive employees on leave following the killing.
Mount Olive staff and the West Virginia State Police investigated the case.
Prosecutors said Judge Thomas Fast ordered the life sentences to run consecutively.
Thompson was not granted mercy, which means he will never be eligible for parole.