Inmate dies after he’s stabbed through the eye with pencil in N.J. prison

Authorities are investigating the brutal stabbing death of an inmate at a federal prison in Cumberland County.

Markis Nathan Rattling Leaf, 42, of South Dakota, was stabbed in the head, neck and chest with a pencil on March 4 at the Federal Correctional Institution at Fairton and died the following day, according to his death certificate.

His death was a homicide, according to a copy of the death certificate his family provided to NJ Advance Media.

Federal officials did not publicly announce the killing, but confirmed Rattling Leaf’s death in response to an inquiry from NJ Advance Media.

His family members said they are waiting for answers about how the incident occurred and who is responsible. The family has not heard anything from prison officials or investigators about the status of the case, according to Rattling Leaf’s sister, Miranda Roubideaux.

Rattling Leaf was Native American and a member of the Rosebud Sioux tribe in South Dakota, Roubideaux said.

She recalled her brother as someone who tried to support other prison inmates, including other Native Americans.

“He was a guide, an advisor in the Native American way. Always helping,” Roubideaux said. “He used his knowledge of tradition to counsel other people, to bring both acceptance and solidarity. He tried to help other people in there to face their own challenges and his own challenges also.”

Rattling Leaf was an advocate for the queer and transgender communities during his time in prison, his sister said. While in a federal prison in Tucson, Arizona, he co-founded Brave Hearts, a group of LGBTQ+ inmates who focused on financial independence through art and ending violence against LGBTQ+ people in prison.

His family members only learned of his death when they were contacted by a friend of Rattling Leaf who was listed at the prison as his emergency contact, Roubideaux said.

Prison officials issued a press release this week that said Rattling Leaf was found unresponsive following a “perceived altercation” at the prison on March 4 and later died. The FBI was notified of the death, the release said.

Federal officials declined to comment on how he died or if anyone was charged in his death. FBI representatives told NJ Advance Media the investigation is ongoing.

While puncture wounds from the pencil caused his death, he also suffered blunt force trauma to his head and neck, the death certificate said.

One of the stab wounds was to his eye, Roubideaux said.

The family was told by someone at the prison that Rattling Leaf was trying to counsel the inmate who attacked and killed him, his sister said. She was not told that inmate’s name and officials have not provided any information about the alleged attacker.

In 2012, Rattling Leaf pleaded guilty to a charge of abusive sexual contact with an 8-year-old victim in South Dakota and was sentenced to more than 18 years in prison, according to a press release about the case.

He had been held at the federal prison in Fairton since June of last year, according to the federal Bureau of Prisons. He was scheduled to complete his sentence within about six months, his sister said.

After Rattling Leaf was found unresponsive on March 4, prison staff “initiated life-saving measures” and emergency medical services were requested, according to the prison’s press release. Rattling Leaf was taken to Cooper University Hospital in Camden, where he died the following day, according to his death certificate.

No other inmates or staff were injured in the incident, federal officials said. FCI Fairton is a medium-security prison located in Fairfield Township.

Rattling Leaf’s body was returned to Mission, South Dakota, for his funeral, which was held March 17.

He was active in his Native American community and took part in traditional ceremonies, according to his sister. His obituary said he previously volunteered with a group that patrols Native American communities and combats police brutality in indigenous neighborhoods.

Roubideaux said her brother’s advocacy work in the Arizona federal prison led to a reduction in anti-LGBTQ+ violence at that facility.

In a letter, Rattling Leaf told his sister his transfer to the federal prison in New Jersey was so he could continue his violence-reduction work in other federal facilities, Roubideaux said.

Rattling Leaf is survived by his two children, his mother and 12 siblings, according to his sister.