Convicted murderer charged with assaulting cellmate at Jefferson City Correctional Center

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A man who was convicted of murder in 2009 was charged with first-degree assault on Saturday.

Kenneth Wayne Beck, 52, was charged with first-degree assault, two counts of armed criminal action and one count of violence to an inmate. He is currently being held at South Central Correctional Center.

The probable cause statement says that Beck allegedly assaulted his cellmate at Jefferson City Correctional Center on Sept. 13, 2023. He allegedly admitted to assaulting the victim by hitting him and then using a food service tray to hit the man in the head, court documents say. Beck allegedly told jail officials that he took things “too far,” the statement says.

The victim had a number of fractures and cuts described in court documents.

Beck is serving a life sentence without parole for first-degree murder and armed criminal action in Montgomery County. He was found guilty on both counts on Jan. 20, 2009, for a killing that occurred on June 10, 2006, court filings show.