Trumbull County man indicted for allegedly having knife in prison, attacking inmate

LUCASVILLE, Ohio (WKBN) — A Trumbull County man serving a sentence for murder was indicted earlier this month on charges he had a knife in prison and attacked an inmate.

A Scioto County grand jury indicted Austin Burke, 26, on July 3 on two counts of felonious assault, a second-degree felony; possession of a deadly weapon, a first-degree felony; third-degree felony counts of extortion and inducing panic; and a fourth-degree felony charge of inducing panic.

He is expected to be arraigned July 26 in Scioto County Common Pleas Court.

In the present case, an indictment says that Burke attacked an inmate May 18 at the prison. Further details were not provided.

Burke, an inmate at the Southern Correctional Institution in Lucasville, is already serving prison terms in two separate murder cases involving three victims.

In 2018, Burke was sentenced to life in prison after being convicted by a jury in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court of the 2017 shooting death of Brandon Sample , 22, of Bristolville.

An additional sentence was tacked on because Burke had a knife while in custody.

In December, Burke was indicted on a charge of aggravated murder for the 2023 death of another inmate at the Southern Correctional Facility. That case is still pending.

Kristen Hephner contributed to this report.

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