RICHMOND, Va. — Nadia Ross remembers her younger brother Princeo Brooks as someone who was "always smiling."
The 42-year-old loved his music, his family and above all, his 10-year-old son Kendrick.
"His only son, his world, like Kendrick, is his world to him," Ross said. "All he looked forward to was doing his time and coming home, and all he kept talking about was reuniting with his son and getting on his feet so that he can get his son."
Brooks was serving time at Greensville Correctional Center for assault and battery, grand larceny and shoplifting.
His family said he was scheduled to be released in 2026. Instead, he was just laid to rest after his 10-year-old son bid the final farewell.
Brooks was found unresponsive November 11 with his cellmate on top of him after an "apparent attack," according to the Virginia Department of Corrections.
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Sources share new information about 'brutal attack' inside Virginia prison
Sources exclusively told CBS 6 that cellmate was Nickolaus Brown, convicted in Southwest Virginia of attempted capital murder, attempted robbery and use of a firearm in those crimes. According to VADOC records Brown is now at Red Onion State Prison in Wise County.
Brown and Brooks were housed in the general population.
Sources said that after the alleged attack, Brown was talking to himself and stated that Brooks "didn't know he deserved it."
Sources described the attack as "brutal" and said it may have been prevented had the facility been properly staffed that evening.
According to a State Inspector General report conducted in July 2025, Greensville's staffing has a vacancy rate of close to 50%.
At the time of Brooks's death, sources said most security posts were left vacant in the evening because non-security staff were having to assist with rounds and checking on inmates during the day.
"It's reasonable to understand that there may be situations that happen in prison, like fights or disagreements, that happens in life, that can happen even not in prison, but you don't expect death," Ross said through tears. "You don't expect that."
The Understaffing Problem
University of Virginia Professor Gerard Robinson is a professor of practice in public policy and law at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy and School of Law. He teaches a course called "Inside US Prisons." The former Secretary of Education under Governor Bob McDonnell said the understaffing problem extends beyond Virginia.
"The problem of understaffing in prisons is not endemic to just Virginia. It's nationwide," Robinson said. "The largest state agency in Virginia is the Department of Corrections, approximately 11,000 employees. And so for a public institution to have that many employees and the millions of dollars we invest on face value, you would think, well, we should have enough money to pay people."
Robinson said correctional officers make less than they probably should for the work they do, but noted that money alone isn't the only issue.
"The suicide rate for American correctional officers is higher than the suicide rate for American police, then we realize we have a correctional problem," Robinson said. "Professional development, mental and social health and support for correctional officers is needed, because even though they leave prison, they bring that home to their families."
Brooks's passing brings the total number of Greensville inmate deaths in the last three years to 68. According to the Inspector General report, about half died at the facility and the other half at local hospitals. Thirty-five percent of those deaths happened last year alone, and in two-thirds of those cases, the cause is still pending.
'They Failed Him'
"You would think that the prison has certain protocols in place to protect the people in there, and they failed him," Ross said. "They failed him. My next step is making sure this doesn't happen to another family."
Robinson suggests focusing on implementing existing laws and regulations rather than creating new ones, talking to formerly incarcerated people about their experiences, and interviewing outgoing leaders who may now be more willing to discuss barriers they faced.
"People do make mistakes in life. I'm not taking away from that. He never took away from that," Ross said. "However, when a loved one goes to prison and they're sentenced to a certain amount of time, you expect to see them again. You expect, he was on his way home."
Brooks's family said the Virginia Department of Corrections notified them of his passing but would not answer any questions about how he died.
They said they found out it was an alleged attack through media reports.
I reached out to the Virginia Department of Corrections for comment and as of this publication CBS 6 has not received a statement.
The Virginia Department of Corrections provided the following statement on alleged staffing shortages November 12:
“The security of VADOC facilities and the safety of our corrections team and inmate population remains our agency’s top priority. Staffing is a concern not just for the VADOC. Correctional systems and jails across the United States are experiencing staffing shortages. The Department aggressively recruits security and non-security candidates and utilizes new corrections technologies to help ensure safety and security."
Robinson said there are two things Governor Spanberger can do. The first he said is to signal human dignity in prisons.
“Why the term human dignity? It's a term that's used internationally to talk about how we should treat people who are incarcerated. So, she's at least extending this to a broader national and international conversation. And the number two is to lead by example," he said.
He said Governor McDonnell did this by visiting inmates in prison because he said he was their governor too.
THREE-YEAR INMATE DEATHS (67 total):
Medical/Natural Causes - 38 deaths (73% of total)
- Cancer - 14 deaths
- Cardiovascular - 13 deaths
- Diabetes complications - 3 deaths
- Kidney failure - 2 deaths
- Respiratory issues - 2 deaths
- Gastrointestinal problems - 2 deaths
- Stroke - 1 death
- COVID-19 - 1 death
Non-Natural Deaths - 10 deaths (15% of total)
- Drug overdoses - 5 deaths
- Accidents - 3 deaths (one drowning and two falls)
- Suicides - 2 deaths
- Pre-Incarceration Related - 1 death (complications from gunshot wound sustained before imprisonment)
Pending Medical Examiner Review: 18 deaths (27% of total)
LOCATION BREAKDOWN:
- 35 deaths occurred at the facility itself (52%)
- 32 deaths happened at local hospitals (48%)
RECENT TREND - Past Year (24 deaths):
- 8 deaths have confirmed causes (33%)
- 16 deaths still awaiting medical examiner determination (67%)
- 11 occurred on-site, 13 at hospitals
ADDITIONAL CONTEXT:
- One staff member also died from natural causes during the three-year period
- No serious sexual assaults reported
- 33 serious inmate-on-inmate assaults over three years
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This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy. To learn more about how we use AI in our newsroom, click here.
