Podcast Summary: Truer Crime – “Keith LaMar + The Lucasville Prison Riot Part 2”

Host: Celisia Stanton
Date: September 8, 2025

Episode Overview

This powerful episode continues the exploration of the 1993 Lucasville Prison Riot through the story of Keith LaMar, an inmate swept up in the chaos. Host Celisia Stanton seeks to bring humanity and nuance to the narrative, uncovering not only the broad strokes of the riot but the deeper currents of trauma, community, and justice that shaped the lives of those involved. The episode weaves together firsthand accounts, historical context, and difficult questions about the criminal justice system, focusing on the aftermath for LaMar as well as the violence and decisions made during those tense eleven days.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Outbreak and Escalation of the Riot

• Recap of events: On April 12, 1993, the Lucasville prison in Ohio was overtaken by hundreds of inmates. Eight correctional officers were taken hostage; authorities including the National Guard amassed outside (05:06).
• Inmates in K and L blocks responded differently: Keith LaMar and other men from the yard were moved to K block, seemingly for safety, but “what Keith was about to witness would be horror all its own” (05:25).
• L block prisoners kept leverage by holding hostages, leading to tense negotiations with authorities (06:00).

Communication, Negotiations, and Media

• Authorities shared little with journalists. According to reporter Michaelson Giacomo, “With this one, there was a lot of just wait and see... They could have been a lot more forthcoming and still maintained enough secrecy to get the job done” (07:06).
• Prisoners communicated their demands by writing on bedsheets and hanging them out of windows—demands which Giacomo described as “reasonable,” such as overcrowding relief and religious accommodations (07:44-08:37).

  “The overcrowding was probably the biggest thing. They said, you're jamming us in together. It's not healthy, and it's dangerous.”
  — Michaelson Giacomo (07:44)

Hostage Crisis and Tragedy

• A tense negotiation call airs, where a hostage claims, “These inmates that gave me their word that nothing's going to happen to us, and by God, they keep it” (09:35–10:37).
• Authorities escalate by shutting off water and electricity—“Prisoners responded… turn on the water and electricity or we’ll kill one of the eight hostages” (10:50).
• Prison spokesperson Tess Unwin downplays the threat, leading to horror among reporters and prisoners alike:

  “She was dismissive, very dismissive. Like, you know, she wasn't terribly worried about what their threats were. We were all horrified, frankly.”
  — Michaelson Giacomo (12:04)

• Hostage Officer Robert VanLandingham is murdered and his body is thrown out, a devastating outcome many viewed as preventable (13:07–13:25).

Surrender and Temporary Reform

• A breakthrough: Authorities agree to air prisoners’ demands in exchange for a hostage release (13:52–14:31).
• The 21-point agreement after the riot promised “no retaliation against the prisoners,” policy reform, and meaningful changes (31:44–32:01).

Violence and Dehumanization in K Block

• Keith LaMar and hundreds are stripped naked and held for hours in degrading conditions (16:45–17:59).
• In the chaos and neglect, Dennis Weaver—one of the prisoners—tries to calm others, but is murdered by fellow inmates (19:06–19:19).

  “And then, you know, we sat on the gymnasium floor for about three, four hours or whatever... They started picking us in random groups of 10 and escorting us to these holding cells. 10 naked prisoners in each of these cells, mind you.”
  — Keith Lamar (17:10, 17:59)

• The group is then put in a “strip cell” with no amenities:

  “It’s like little torture chambers that you put in to literally sweat you out.”
  — Prisoner / Narrator (20:33)

Keith LaMar’s Personal Story: Trauma and Upbringing

• Keith shares poignant memories of his childhood in a close-knit community, shaped by “love, not material things” (23:38).
• He also recounts trauma: his mother being raped while he was a child, the loss of his brother to leukemia, and moving away from his supportive grandmother to a home marked by abuse and poverty (24:07–26:53).
• The turning point: age 13, after being involved in joyriding, a judge gives his parents the option of taking him home or sending him to juvenile detention. His stepfather chooses the latter, an event that Keith marks as “the pivotal experience in my life” (27:17–28:58).

  “You become a criminal when the condition of your heart is changed, when you no longer see the people in your surrounding, literally as neighbors... So that's what makes you or turns you into a criminal. So I came away from that situation really, really converted.”
  — Keith Lamar (29:22)

After the Riot: Investigations, Pressure, and "Snitch Academy"

• Despite being locked in K block for almost the entire riot, Keith is subjected to investigation and ultimately faces a murder indictment (33:20–41:09).
• The state, lacking physical evidence, offers incentives for witness testimony:

  “You’re not allowed to pay for people’s testimony. And this is, you know, amounted to a payment... gave them ice cream and cookies. You’re not allowed to do that if you then asking guys to testify and ultimately put people on death row.”
  — Prisoner / Narrator (39:09)

• Division grows between informants (transferred to Allen Oakwood, derisively dubbed “Snitch Academy”) and prisoners who refuse to testify.
• The result is resentment and ongoing hunger and work strikes as forms of resistance within the prison (39:39–40:16).

Accusations and Consequences

• Keith is indicted for multiple murders, including those he witnessed but did not commit; authorities allege not that he killed, but that he “ordered deaths” (41:02–41:09).
• He maintains his innocence, declaring the evidence and accusations baseless, yet the machinery of justice grinds onward (41:16–41:19).

Memorable Quotes

• "What Keith was about to witness would be a horror all its own."
  — Celisia Stanton (05:25)
• "She was dismissive. ...We were all horrified, frankly. ...oh, my God, did she just say that?"
  — Michaelson Giacomo (12:04)
• "That's one of my fondest childhoods, growing up in this place of community… it was primarily about love, not material things..."
  — Keith Lamar (23:38)
• "You become a criminal when the condition of your heart is changed... That’s what makes you or turns you into a criminal."
  — Keith Lamar (29:22)
• "The group called out for a guard, and after about 30 minutes, they finally came to remove the body. The group of prisoners was then moved to what's called a strip cell..."
  — Celisia Stanton (19:41)
• "We're not saying you killed anybody, we're saying that you ordered deaths."
  — Keith Lamar quoting authorities (41:02)

Important Timestamps for Key Segments

• 05:06 — Authorities storm the yard; chaos in L and K blocks diverges
• 07:44 — Reporters decipher inmate demands via bedsheet banners
• 09:35 — Hostage confirms humane treatment by inmates, presses for negotiations
• 10:50 — Prisoners threaten to kill hostages as utilities are cut
• 13:07 — Officer VanLandingham’s body is thrown from the prison
• 16:45–19:19 — K block: prisoners are stripped, held, witness Dennis Weaver’s murder
• 22:12–29:22 — Keith Lamar narrates formative childhood memories, trauma, and his “conversion”
• 31:44–32:01 — Standoff ends; 21-point agreement and promises of reform
• 33:20–41:16 — Investigation aftermath: incentivized witness testimony, “Snitch Academy,” accusations against Keith
• 41:02–41:19 — Keith is indicted for ordering deaths, protests innocence

Tone & Style

Celisia Stanton’s approach is empathetic, probing, and unafraid of complexity. She maintains the voices of those directly involved, offering both narrative distance and deeply personal engagement—particularly in her conversations with Keith Lamar.

Notable Takeaways

• Institutional failure and dehumanization: The state’s disregard for inmate safety and the psychological impact of dehumanizing conditions are central.
• Unreliable witness testimony: The prosecution’s reliance on incentivized informants raises questions about justice and due process.
• Transformation and trauma: Keith’s journey highlights how structural violence, community loss, and childhood trauma intersect on the path to incarceration.
• Resistance and humanity: Even in the face of brutality, prisoners’ efforts to assert their demands and maintain their dignity form a powerful counter-narrative.

Next episode: The legal aftermath for Keith LaMar, the credibility of state evidence, and the broader implications for the justice system.

For further reading and ways to support incarcerated writers, Stanton highlights The Prison Journalism Project.

This thorough and nuanced episode is essential listening for anyone interested in true crime, prison reform, or the profound human costs of institutional violence and injustice.