Inmate blames prison stabbing over intimidation by Black people

An inmate at the Lawton Correctional Facility is accused of a September 2023 stabbing of another inmate.

Investigators said he admitted to the assault because he was “intimidated by Black people.”

The Comanche County District Court issued a felony arrest warrant for Eduardo Montoya, 24, for a count of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, records indicate. The crime is punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

Oklahoma Department of Corrections Investigative Agent Michael Williams stated the assault happened Sept. 21, 2023, and the injured inmate suffered two puncture wounds from a homemade knife: one to the upper back and another to the right arm. The injured inmate was treated and released from OU Medical Center in Oklahoma City, the warrant affidavit states. He told Williams he’d been attacked by a Hispanic man.

Security video showed Montoya instigate the fight with the inmate, Williams stated. Montoya was seen making a stabbing motion before two other inmates arrived, the affidavit states. The injured man fled with the three inmates giving chase, eventually cornering him and hitting him several times as he fell to the floor, according to the agent.

As the three inmates began to walk away, Montoya was seen turning around and striking the inmate several more times with a stabbing motion, according to the affidavit.

During his interview, Montoya admitted to stabbing the man, Williams stated. He said he stabbed the man because he’d had his life threatened, even though the man didn’t have a knife at the time. He said he stabbed the man because he was “intimidated by Black people” and that the knife that was recovered was his, the affidavit states.

Montoya has a July 2018 conviction from Tulsa County for a count of assault and battery with a deadly weapon.

Oklahoma Department of Corrections records indicate Montoya remains at the Lawton Correctional Facility.