Federal Prisoner Arrested For Second-Degree Murder

Ocala, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the arrest of Brandon Ejae Elliot (34, Tampa) on a criminal complaint charging him with second-degree murder. If convicted, Elliot faces up to life in federal prison.  

According to court records, on December 3, 2022, Elliot was a federal inmate in the United States Penitentiary-II in the Coleman Federal Correctional Complex in Sumter County. During a lockdown at the prison, other inmates heard fighting and yelling coming from Elliot’s cell. When prison staff opened the cell, they found Elliot’s cellmate unresponsive with multiple puncture wounds to his body. The victim was transported to a local hospital but succumbed to his injuries. An investigation revealed that Elliot had multiple scratches on his body that were consistent with the victim attempting to fight off the attack. Staff members also located a sharp metal object in Elliot’s cell. Another inmate told investigators that Elliott had talked to him through an air vent after the attack and had admitted to killing the victim.    

A criminal complaint is merely an allegation that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.

This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Federal Bureau of Prisons. This case is being prosecuted by Hannah Nowalk.