Former Bristolville man accused of killing 65-year-old inmate in Ohio prison

A convicted Trumbull County man will be in court Thursday. This time, the offense took place at the Southern Correctional Facility in Lucasville.

Austin Burke, 25, formerly of Bristolville is charged with aggravated murder in the Aug. 12, 2023, death of inmate Ruben Melendez, 65.

According to a report made by the Ohio State Highway Patrol investigators, Burke is accused of stomping on the head of Melendez repeated times after putting the victim on the floor of the facility with a series of punches.

Burke pleaded not guilty to the charge at an arraignment earlier this month and will appear for a pre-trial hearing this week before Scioto County Common Pleas Judge Mark E. Kuhn.

Burke is serving a life prison sentence after being found guilty by a Trumbull County jury for the murder of Kenneth Sample whose body was found June 15, 2017, in a wooded area off Peck Leach Road in Bristol. Sample was shot once in the head, reports stated.

Leading the state’s case in the trial was First Assistant Prosecutor Christopher Becker.

Burke also received an 11-year prison sentence for his conviction in the June 20, 2017 robbery of the Pizza Joe’s in Cortland, in which a firearm was used in that crime. Burke’s sentence included six additional years because firearms were used in both crimes.

This story was originally published February 21, 2024 at 2:10 PM.