Virginia Department of Corrections to Pay $2.7 Million to Settle a Wrongful Death Lawsuit to Family of Inmate Killed at Red Onion State Prison

The Virginia Department of Corrections (VADOC) agreed to pay $2.7 million to settle a wrongful death lawsuit brought by the family of an inmate who was killed in a 2025 homicide at Red Onion State Prison.

According to the family’s legal representation, Michael Joseph Hailey, Jr. was a transgender woman who went by “Lilith Marcotte.”

Hailey was a 32-year-old Virginian who was killed at Red Onion State Prison near Wise County’s Pound area the evening of Nov. 25, 2025, according to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner of Virginia.

Read more at WFXR