US: Prisoner arrested on charge of murder hours after leaving jail over COVID-19 fear

Joseph Edward Williams, a prisoner who was released from jail along with 100 other inmates due to coronavirus contamination fears, has been arrested again on charges of murder. According to reports, Joseph was arrested on April 13, a day after his release under Administrative Order 2020-018, that was drafted to protect inmates and staff in prison, during the coronavirus pandemic.

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Second-degree murder

As per reports, the 26-year-old was arrested in Florida after being accused of committing second-degree murder. Joseph was initially arrested on March 13 after he was allegedly caught with heroin. Joseph has been pressed upon with a total of 35 charges. Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister in a press release said that Joseph took advantage of the coronavirus pandemic to commit the violent crime while he was out of prison awaiting resolution for a non-violent crime he had committed earlier. 

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"As a result, I call on the state attorney to prosecute this defendant to the fullest extent of the law," Chronister added. Low-level offenders and elderly people have been released from prison across the United States in order to project jail staff from contracting the deadly disease. Inmates nearing their release terms have also been released from prisons as part of preventive measures. 

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The United States is the most affected country in the world with over 6,14,000 confirmed Coronavirus cases and more than 26,000 deaths so far. According to data by worldometer, there are currently 5,49,362 active infections in the country with over 13,000 critical cases. The North American nation has successfully treated 38,820 patients as of April 14.  

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The deadly Coronavirus infection has claimed more than 1,27,500 lives across the world and has infected over 20,13,900 people globally since it first broke out in December 2019. China was the most affected country until last month before Italy, Spain, the US, UK, Iran and France surpassed it to record the most number of deaths anywhere in the world due to COVID-19. The virus is believed to have originated from a seafood market in China's Wuhan city, the epicentre of the disease, where animals were reportedly being traded illegally.