Parents of nurse killed by Anamosa inmates sue for wrongful death
The parents of a nurse slain by inmates at the Anamosa State Penitentiary during a March 2021 escape attempt have filed a lawsuit alleging the Iowa Department of Corrections and the former prison warden placed her in a "position of danger" that resulted in her death.
Lorena Schulte's parents, Stephanie and George Schulte, filed the wrongful death suit Wednesday in Jones County, the site of the maximum security prison. It alleges the Iowa Department of Corrections and the warden at the time, Jeremy Larson, acted negligently in their policies and management of the prison's security, programs and employee safety.
Neither the Department of Corrections nor Larson responded immediately to requests for comment.
An investigation showed two inmates, Michael Dutcher and Tom Woodward, who were attempting to escape through a window in the prison infirmary, beat Schulte and security officer Robert McFarland to death using hammers they obtained along with other tools through a work force program locker in the prison. They also severely injured inmate McKinley Roby and held dental assistant Lorie Matthes captive during the attack.
Dutcher and Woodward later pleaded guilty to the murders and other charges and each was sentenced to life in prison without parole.
Both men, who were serving sentences for robbery, had access to the tools as members of the prison's maintenance crew, despite what a Des Moines Register investigation showed was a history of violence and a previous escape plan by Dutcher.
An autopsy report shows Schulte died from blunt force trauma to the head. She also suffered from injuries to her chest, left shoulder and right leg, according to the report.
Her parents' suit alleges that Jeremy Larson, warden at the time of the attack, is liable for "gross negligence" for failing to provide sufficient staffing and training and failing to respond to employee safety concerns. The lawsuit also contends that Larson failed to "appropriately screen inmates for eligibility in the Iowa Prison Industries program."
Larson left his post at Anamosa a month after the killings to become interim warden at the state's low- and medium-security Newton Correctional Facility. He remains there as correctional treatment director, according to a state directory.
Larson's eventual replacement at Anamosa was Kris Karberg, a former security official at the U.S. embassy in Afghanistan.
A trial date for the suit has yet to be set, according to court records.
Investigations find staff shortages, inconsistent safety protocols
A Register investigation after the killings found two decades of budget cuts had left Iowa's prisons severely understaffed, with levels close to the lowest ratio of officers to inmates in 30 years despite inmate populations beyond the prison system's designed capacity. An outside investigation conducted for the state by consulting firm CGL Companies confirmed the Register's findings, concluding that the prison suffered from inconsistent enforcement of rules on prisoner tool use and movement, staffing shortfalls and inmate overcrowding.
State corrections Director Beth Skinner said in a December 2021 statement that CGL completion of its review was the "next step" in making the prisons safer and more secure.
Following the attack, the Iowa Legislature approved a $21 million increase in the Department of Corrections' budget to help bolster hiring. However, a months-long hiring push yielded one fewer employee.
Staff writer Daniel Lathrop contributed to this article.
Francesca Block is a breaking news reporter at the Des Moines Register. Reach her at FBlock@registermedia.com or on Twitter at @francescablock3.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Parents file wrongful death lawsuit in Iowa slaying at Anamosa prison
