ASHLAND, Ky (LEX News) — The widow of an inmate killed at Eastern Kentucky Correctional Complex has filed a federal lawsuit alleging corrections officials and prison employees failed to protect her husband despite warning signs that he was in danger.
Ashley Elgin, acting on behalf of the estate of her husband, Robert Anthony Broyles Jr., filed the lawsuit Aug. 31 in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky. The suit names Kentucky Department of Corrections administrators, prison supervisors and correctional officers as defendants.
Broyles was found dead inside his cell at EKCC on Aug. 31, 2025. Authorities charged his cellmate, Daleon Rice, with murder in connection with his death. The lawsuit alleges Broyles was just nine days away from his scheduled release from prison when he was killed.
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According to the complaint, Rice had a documented history of violent behavior while incarcerated, including prior assaults on other inmates. The lawsuit alleges corrections officials knew or should have known about that history but failed to take steps to separate the two inmates.
The suit further alleges Broyles repeatedly requested to be moved from the cell he shared with Rice because he feared for his safety. Attorneys for Elgin claim those requests were denied, ignored or never processed.
Among the allegations, the lawsuit claims prison staff failed to enforce policies regarding prohibited items after Rice allegedly possessed a fan with an electrical cord that was later used in the killing. The complaint also alleges correctional officers failed to intervene despite opportunities to do so.
The lawsuit challenges the Kentucky Department of Corrections' inmate-classification system, arguing it allowed inmates with histories of serious violence to be housed with inmates serving sentences for nonviolent offenses. Attorneys contend the system failed to adequately distinguish between inmates who posed significant safety risks and those who did not.
Elgin's attorneys also allege prison officials maintained policies and practices that discouraged or prevented inmate transfer requests, even when inmates raised legitimate safety concerns.
The complaint seeks compensatory and punitive damages and alleges violations of Broyles' constitutional rights under the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments, along with negligence claims under Kentucky law.
The defendants had not filed responses to the allegations as of Thursday. The lawsuit is assigned to U.S. District Judge David Bunning under case number 0:26-cv-00132-DLB.
LEX News has previously reported on concerns surrounding inmate deaths at EKCC, including questions about prison safety, inmate supervision and violence within the facility.
