A man accused of strangling his cellmate at the Northern Correctional Facility in Moundsville last year was among 17 people indicted this week by a Marshall County grand jury.

Jonathan Jordan was indicted on a murder charge after police said he killed his cellmate, David Simpkins, who was found dead in his cell on Oct. 9, 2016. According to a police report, Jordan allegedly strangled Simpkins with a belt before returning him to his bunk.

Police said Jordan killed Simpkins for appearing weak and disloyal and refusing to defend himself against other inmates.

Jordan, of Columbus, Ohio, is currently serving three consecutive 20-year sentences for a string of arsons.

“He’s not going anywhere, and it’s a double-edged sword. We hate to use the taxpayers’ money when this individual’s facing three 20-year sentences for arson, but on the same token we can’t let him get away with murder just because they’re incarcerated,” Marshall County Prosecutor Rhonda Wade said. “We had hoped he’d take a plea. We tried before indicting him, but it didn’t happen.”

Also indicted this week was Thomas Hammerstone of Benwood, indicted on 12 counts including first- and second-degree sexual assault and other charges, after allegedly abusing a 4-year-old girl as well as a teenage girl. Hammerstone remains jailed on $700,000 bond at the Northern Regional Jail.

“He waived his preliminary, he’s incarcerated, hasn’t made bond, and he’ll be tried this term of court,” Wade said of Hammerstone.

Other indictments include Austin Duvall, charged with first-degree sexual abuse; Jodi May Woodburn, for DUI causing death; and Daina Myers, facing burglary and conspiracy. Wade said that while Marshall County normally sees a large number of drug-related crimes, even the ones not immediately drug-related can usually be linked to drug use.

“I think we have more burglaries than we do drugs, and that’s unusual,” Wade said. “I’ve always said those kinds of crimes are related to drug use. … A lot of these are indirectly related to drugs.”

Trials of those indicted for this term of court are scheduled between Jan. 22 and Feb. 5. Other indictments include:

∫ Daniel Beck, exhibiting material depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct and manufacture of a controlled substance;

∫ Amber Brothers, possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance;

∫ Steven Heatherington, attempted grand larceny and destruction of property;

∫ Robert Lenko, grand larceny;

∫ Robert Dale Lucas Jr., possession with intent to deliver;

∫ John Lufft, delivery of a controlled substance, conspiracy and two counts of possession with intent to deliver;

∫ Scott Parsons, entry of a building other than a dwelling and grand larceny;

∫ Angel Sells, grand larceny and conspiracy;

∫ Betty Sells, grand larceny, conspiracy, and falsely reporting an emergency;

∫ Ashley Staffers, third-offense shoplifting;

∫ Jacob White, entry of a building other than a dwelling, attempted entry and petit larceny; and

∫ Shamus Woods, third-offense domestic battery.