Deliberations underway for alleged ‘mastermind’ behind deadly prison riot

WILMINGTON, Del. – With a ton of evidence and testimonies to consider, the jury now has a tough decision to make as they begin deliberate and determine the fate of the so called ‘puppet master’ behind the James T. Vaughn prison riot. For nearly four hours, the jury heard from the state, the defense, and then the state again as they ended with closing arguments. The prosecution was up first, urging the jury to to find Roman Shankaras guilty of 1st degree murder, assault, and kidnapping of Lieutenant Steven Floyd. They started with reminding the jury of the most incriminating piece of evidence they had: The letters Shankaras wrote to another inmate, Royal Downs. In those letters, Shankaras wrote that the riot had “had to happen” and that the uprising was his way of “getting money”. The state also recalled the other witnesses that took the stand throughout the trial. Witness who say they saw a number of inmates going in and out of Shankara’s cell during the riot, updating him on what was happening. Prosecutors also used a term that’s been heard a lot throughout the different Vaughn trials: accomplice liability. They argue that Shankaras is criminally responsible for what occurred during the rio, because he was behind the entire uprising in the first place. Meanwhile,  the defense stuck to their argument pointing out to the jury that there was no physical DNA evidence linking Shankaras to the crimes that were committed. They also argue that while Shankaras did admit to writing the letters, they say he was manipulated and forced into writing them by Royal Downs. They say Downs made Shankaras write the letters, so that he’d have some sort of defense in case he got charged. The defense also honed in on Down’s credibility, once again, stating that Downs would say whatever he had to, to keep of his side of the bargain after making a plea deal with the state. If Shankaras is convicted of 1st degree murder he could face life in prison. But for now, it’s just a waiting game to see what the jury decides.