KY inmate died a month after being assaulted. Officials won’t say if attack caused death
An inmate held at the Luther Luckett Correctional Complex died earlier this year following an assault at the facility, but Kentucky State Police are still refusing to release the man’s manner of death.
State police confirmed to the Herald-Leader that the assault happened but would not say if the victim died. Neither the victim’s death nor the assault have been made public by state law enforcement — nearly four months after the incident.
When asked why more information was not released regarding the assault or the victim’s death, the state police public affairs commander said the agency was “committed to being transparent while ensuring the integrity of the investigation.”
“To protect the integrity of an ongoing investigation, it is KSP’s standard operating procedure not to release specific details until vital witnesses have been interviewed and pertinent facts gathered,” Capt. Paul Blanton said. “Timelines to complete investigations vary based on the complexity of the case.
“Once the investigation is completed, and the commonwealth attorney approves, a release will be sent.”
According to Blanton, the investigation is open and awaiting review and presentation to a grand jury.
In an emailed statement to the Herald-Leader, Blanton said state police could only confirm preliminary details so as not to harm the investigation and legal proceedings.
“On June 2, 2022, at approximately 8:00 pm Campbellsburg Post 5 was contacted by staff at Luther Luckett Correctional Complex to investigate an assault,” Blanton said. “Detectives assigned to that post responded and opened an investigation.”
State police officials would not comment as to whether the victim’s death was a result of the attack, specifics of the attack, or if they had identified a suspect.
The victim was 50-year-old Clarence Roller Jr., who died from complications of diffuse traumatic brain injury, according to Jefferson County Coroner Barbara Weakley-Jones. She said her office arrived at the University of Louisville Hospital on July 18, more than a month after the assault, in response to Roller’s death.
Roller had been imprisoned at the facility since 2011, when he was convicted of three counts of first-degree sexual abuse, first-degree sexual abuse of a minor under age 12, first-degree sodomy and first-degree sodomy of a victim under the age of 12.
Roller was a Boyle County firefighter at the time, and indictment documents said he assaulted two victims.
The manner of Roller’s death is ruled as “undetermined” and is pending investigation with the state police. Weakley-Jones said it would be up to the police investigation and their findings to determine the specific manner of his death.
The Southern Cremation Society said it conducted Roller’s services, and an online obituary was posted for Roller on July 21 in the Louisville Courier Journal.
When contacted by the Herald-Leader, Roller’s step-mother, Marlene Roller, said she had not been contacted by state police, and knew nothing about the investigation.
