Jury Clears Teen of Homicide in Lincoln Hills Guard Death
After six days of testimony and a little over two hours of jury deliberation, an 18-year-old was found not guilty of reckless homicide in the June 2024 death of Lincoln Hills School youth counselor Corey Proulx, jsonline.com reported. Javarius Hurd, who was 16 at the time of the incident, still faces sentencing on October 30, 2026, after being convicted of battery by a prisoner.
The trial, which ran from October 19 to October 27, asked jurors to weigh four distinct charges, including first-degree reckless homicide and lesser included second-degree reckless homicide options, alongside multiple counts of battery by prisoners. While the jury cleared Hurd of the homicide counts, he was convicted on a single count of battery regarding the fatal encounter, as well as a separate charge involving a female staff member at the northern Wisconsin youth facility. Hurd was charged in adult court, having originally faced counts of felony murder and second-degree reckless homicide.
According to court records detailed by jsonline.com, the fatal chain of events began on June 24, 2024, when Hurd threw soapy water at a 25-year-old female youth counselor and punched her repeatedly. Hurd believed the counselor was abusing her powers. He then fled into an outdoor courtyard where other youth prison occupants were present. Proulx, a 49-year-old youth counselor, followed to detain the teen. During the ensuing struggle, Hurd struck Proulx twice. The second blow caused Proulx to go limp, fall backward onto the pavement, and hit his head. Hurd then climbed and sat atop a basketball hoop. He was airlifted to a hospital, where he died the following day.
WJFW.com reported that prosecutors argued during the trial that Hurd showed complete disregard for Proulx’s life, executing a planned effort to reach the top of a courtyard basketball hoop while knowing that facility staff had limited defensive options. Prosecutors claimed Proulx was protecting his face in a one-sided fight. Conversely, the defense emphasized that the teenager was reacting to severe trauma and triggers within an environment where he felt unsafe and unsupported by standard facility protections. The defense alleged Hurd had been taunted and belittled by a counselor and had previously complained about that staff member.
Another inmate, Rian Nyblom, was sentenced to five years in prison this August after pleading guilty to two counts of being a party to battery. Prosecutors stated Nyblom provided Hurd with extra soap and conditioner 15 minutes before the attack because he knew Hurd wanted to punch the female counselor. Nyblom told investigators he witnessed Hurd punch Proulx, though he did not see the attack on the female staff member.
Broader Scrutiny on Wisconsin Corrections
The verdict lands amid intense, prolonged scrutiny of Wisconsin’s adult and juvenile correctional facilities. Proulx’s death drew widespread public attention following a turbulent period across the state’s prison network.
Federal and state investigations have compounded the pressure on the Wisconsin Department of Corrections. The U.S. Department of Justice launched a probe into a drug and cellphone smuggling conspiracy at Waupun in 2024, while Green Bay recorded two hate crime homicides between 2022 and 2024. Waupun registered a total of eight in-custody deaths over a two-and-a-half-year span ending in 2025. Nine Waupun staff members were charged with felonies regarding two prisoner deaths in 2023 and 2024, and both Waupun and Green Bay experienced lockdowns due to overcrowding and staffing shortages.
Prison workers rallied extensively following Proulx’s death to demand safer working conditions, frequently distancing themselves from department leadership and lawmakers. In August 2024, an eight-hour state Senate hearing brought emotional testimony from colleagues and family members who argued that officials ignored documented safety risks long before the fatal incident. During that hearing, Secretary-designee Jared Hoy wore a memorial for Proulx.
Long-Awaited Youth Facility Overhauls
Wisconsin’s juvenile institutions have faced systemic criticisms for well over a decade. Allegations of abuse at Lincoln Hills School for Boys first reached lawmakers in 2012, prompting joint state and federal investigations by 2015. Plans to shutter both Lincoln Hills and the neighboring Copper Lake School for Girls in Irma have faced repeated postponements since 2018.
The upcoming opening of the Southeast Regional Care Center for Youth in Milwaukee, along with ongoing construction for a new youth correctional facility in Dane County, represents the state’s latest attempt to overhaul its juvenile detention model.
Hurd is scheduled to appear in Lincoln County Court for his sentencing hearing at 9:30 a.m. on Friday, October 30, 2026, where he faces up to six years in prison on the remaining battery conviction, according to local court records reported by WJFW.com.
