The brother of Micah Boland, a Maine State Prison inmate killed two years ago in his cell by another prisoner, filed a lawsuit last month against the former warden and acting deputy warden, contending they failed to prevent Boland’s death.

Boland was restrained and stabbed 87 times with makeshift knives in February 2014 by fellow inmate Richard A. Stahursky, 37. Boland, 31, was serving a 22-year sentence for gross sexual assault against a 4-year-old Waldo County child.

At Stahursky’s sentencing in December, Boland’s sister said her brother earned his high school diploma, was taking art classes and was trying to better his life while in prison.

Boland’s brother Caleb Boland of Lincoln County is seeking punitive and compensatory damages, contending prison officials violated Boland’s Eighth Amendment rights against cruel and unusual punishment by not taking measures to prevent his killing.

Department of Corrections Deputy Commissioner Jody Breton said the department had no comment.

Stahurksy pleaded guilty to a charge of murder in November 2015. An additional count of attempted murder was dismissed. Justice Daniel Billings imposed a life sentence on Stahursky, describing the killing as “premeditated and cruel.”

Stahursky, addressing the court at the sentencing hearing, said prison administrators knew he had a hatred for sex offenders and a propensity to kill, and that they should be held accountable for not preventing the murder.

When asked March 8 whether Stahursky’s assertion that he was not the only person responsible for Boland’s death prompted the lawsuit, Bangor attorney John P. Gause, who is representing Caleb Boland, said the Boland family already had concerns about how Boland was killed and that prison officials knew Stahursky was a dangerous inmate.

The lawsuit claims the B-pod, where both Boland and Stahursky were housed, is considered an honor pod for inmates without a history of misconduct. Those inmates are given more autonomy and guards are known to leave inmates unsupervised and able to enter other inmates’ cells.

Stahursky had a history of extreme violence toward other inmates and guards, including two separate stabbing attacks prior to the attack on Boland, according to the lawsuit.

Former Warden Rodney Bouffard, now the associate commissioner, and Deputy Warden Michael Tausek were told by Stahursky that if he were to be released from segregation, he would target sex offenders. Despite this warning, Stahursky was moved in August 2014 to B-pod, where Boland and other convicted sex offenders were housed, the lawsuit says.

Tausek and Bouffard are the only defendants named in the lawsuit.

After Boland’s death, interviews conducted by Maine State Police with four inmates who lived in B-pod said Stahursky should not have been living with the general population, let alone in that pod. Some described Boland as weak, and said that was one reason Stahursky targeted him.

Juliette Laaka can be contacted at 594-4401, ext. 118, or at:

jlaaka@villagesoup.com