Corrections Employee Patricia Ross

Patricia Ross

Officer Patricia Ross was beaten to death by an inmate in a dining facility at the Kentucky State Penitentiary at 266 Water Street in Eddyville.

The inmate lured Officer Ross into a food storage area and then beat her to death with a 10-pound commercial can opener when she refused his sexual advances. He also beat another inmate, leaving him critically injured when he walked in on the incident.

The inmate, serving a 10-year sentence for first-degree assault, was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death on February 1, 1985. He received an additional 20 years for assaulting the inmate. In 1988, his conviction and sentence were overturned. In 1994, he pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and was sentenced to life with the possibility of parole in 25 years. He died in prison on July 3, 2009.

Officer Ross had served with the Kentucky Department of Corrections for three years. She was survived by her 15-year-old son.