Four Charged in Jail Assault

Timothy Cain, Kwamaine Bellamy, Michael Lance, and Washington (CCSO photos)
Timothy Cain, Kwamaine Bellamy, Michael Lance, and Washington (CCSO photos)

Update: Two murder suspects part of assault.

Two of the four suspects in the Aug. 3 beating of an inmate at the county jail are awaiting trial for murder.

Michael Lance, Darius Washington, Kwamaine Bellamy, and Timothy Cain II all faces charges of attempted murder, District Attorney Jon David said in a press release this morning. The four are alleged to have beaten Joshua Johnson 33, so badly that he was placed in intensive care at an area hospital. He is in critical condition, David said.

“Sheriff (Jody) Greene and I made a concurrent request to the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation for assistance in this matter,” David said. 

“We have the responsibility to protect people while they are in custody of our county jails,” David said. “This is especially true for people who are awaiting disposition of their charges and are presumed innocent. While it is understood that prisoners forfeit certain rights as part of their incarceration, they should not be subjected to assaultive behavior by fellow inmates. The District Attorney’s office will aggressively prosecute serious criminal activity that threatens the safety and stability in our correctional environment.”

Neither David nor the sheriff’s office have described a motive in the assault.

Cain was arrested in February 2021 for the death of Jacqueline Elaine Landreth. The Clarkton woman’s body was found near Chadbourn weeks after she was reported missing from her home near Clarkton.

Lance faces multiple drug trafficking charges as well as assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill and possession of a firearm by a felon from April.

Darius Rashad Washington is awaiting trial for killing a father, mother and child in September 2019.

Washington has been in custody since he was arrested for the first degree murders of Alexis Ciprian Trujillo, age 5; the child’s mother, Nancy Trujillo Espinoza; and Leonel Ciprian Noyola; and the attempted first degree murder of Rafaela Noyola Jaramillo.

The family was gunned down in their home Sept. 7, 2019. Washington was found in the family’s Ford Fusion near an alleged drug house on Twin Pines Road. He was originally arrested on drug and firearms charges the day after the murders.

Bellamy was arrested in 2020 for robbery, then fought with Whiteville Police while he was being processed. He was charged with assault with a deadly weapon, assault on an officer, property damage, armed robbery, and possession of a firearm by a felon. 

This is a developing story. Check back with CCN for more updates as they become available.

Timothy Cain, Kwamaine Bellamy, Michael Lance, and Washington (CCSO photos)
Timothy Cain, Kwamaine Bellamy, Michael Lance, and Washington (CCSO photos)
  • Front Page

    Stomach Bug Closes Hallsboro-Artesia

    Hallsboro Artesia Elementary School closed at 12:15 p.m. today, and will remain closed tomorrow due to an outbreak of a stomach virus. The county school system made the announcement this morning shortly before noon. Classes [Read More]
  • Front Page

    Mom’s Friend Charged in Murder Case

    The reported boyfriend of the mother of a woman found dead in April has been arrested. Brandon Wayne Mincey, 41, of Country Village Estates, Hallsboro, is being held under $750,000 secured bond. He faces one [Read More]
  • staff art
    Lead Story

    Two Injured in Monday Shootings

    Two shootings were reported in Columbus County on Monday, but neither victim sustained life-threatening injuries, according to the sheriff’s office. Just after 1 p.m., a teenager reported that he was walking on a road in [Read More]
  • Dory
    Lead Story

    Museum Makes a Splash in June

    The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences at Whiteville (NCMNS) will be making a splash during the month of June as they explore creatures who live on the land and in the sea. Come and [Read More]
About Jefferson Weaver 1386 Articles
Jefferson Weaver is the Managing Editor of Columbus County News and the News Director for WTXY AM1540 & Kool 103.9FM Radio. He can be reached at (910) 632-4965, or by email at jeffersonweaver@ColumbusCountyNews.com.