Four inmates from the state prison in ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ are facing multiple new felony charges in connection with the murder of another inmate last September.
Christopher Gregory Simpson, 32; Ryan Wayne Bohannon, 30; Scott Mitchell Elrod, 27; and Tim Westly Weaver, 50, are all facing charges of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, kidnapping and promoting prison contraband in connection with the Sept. 5, 2017, fatal attack on Joseph Zawacki.
Corrections officers found Zawacki unresponsive on the recreation field of the ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ State Prison Complex-ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, located off South Wilmot Road. The 46-year-old Zawacki returned to prison in 2010 to serve a 13-year sentence for forgery and armed robbery out of Maricopa County.
Details about the attack were not immediately available, but the indictment charges all four men with possession of shanks, or makeshift prison knives.
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In July, a Pima County grand jury issued indictments for the four inmates, who were all serving sentences of varying lengths for a variety of crimes ranging from nonviolent to first-degree murder.
Simpson returned to prison in 2014 to serve a 14 year sentence for burglary and dangerous drug violations. He previously served time in prison for auto theft, according to ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Department of Corrections records.
Bohannnon was in the middle of a 24-year sentence for drug violations, armed robbery and aggravated assault.
Elrod was in the midst of a 13-year sentence for burglary, and had previously been in prison for armed robbery and drug violations.
Prison records show that Weaver was already serving a life sentence for two first-degree murder convictions for killings that happened in 1995.
Pima County Superior Court records show that all four men were transported to the Pima County jail for a case management conference last week.
All four men remain in jail, although Simpson and Weaver have been given permission by the court to be housed at the prison in Florence.
Elrod and Bohannon will remain in the Pima County jail until further notice.
The defendants, who online jail records show are assigned to the same pod but different cells, are scheduled for a status conference on Dec. 4.
Christopher Gregory Simpson
Ryan Wayne Bohannon, 31, will serve 16 consecutive years following his current prison sentence after pleading guilty to stabbing another inmate to death in the ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ State Prison Complex in 2017.Â
Scott Mitchell Elrod
Tim Westly Weaver's trail date is scheduled for spring 2020.
Contact reporter Caitlin Schmidt at cschmidt@tucson.com or 573-4191. Twitter: @caitlincschmidt
