Killing Cadillac Smith

It all started 22 November 1981. Silverstein and Fountain, two Aryan Brotherhood members, attacked and strangled black convict Robert Marion Chappelle in the control unit of USP Marion. ROBERT MARION CHAPPELLE convict Number: 04244-158 was aged 42 at the time of his murder. He was killed sometime between 4:55 to 5:55 PM. There were no guards observing the range at the time so the exact time of the murder is unknown. The FBI and forensic pathologists surmise the murder was committed by two individuals, each holding the end of a home-made rope. Chappelle had a habit of putting his pillow against the bars of his cell and sleeping that way. It didn't take a lot of stealth to put a loop around his neck. Silverstein and Fountain just had to hold the handle on their end of the rope, put a foot on the bars and pull the rope tight before tying the ends off. Then they could walk up and down the range while their victim strangled to death. Since the rope cut off blood flow to the brain unconsciousness was less than 30 seconds and brain death in less than 10 minutes. Incidents like this is the reason we stressed constant observation of convicts when they were out of their cells. The guards still had a lot to learn in the early 1980's at Marion.

The murder of Chappelle by these two caused Raymond "Cadillac" Smith to threaten revenge against both Silverstein and Fountain. Chappelle was a DC black as was Smith. In prison affiliation is first by race then where a convict is from. Smith was a very strong convict, more than capable of killing either Silverstein or Fountain.

Fountain was terrified of Smith. He was aware that at some time in the future Smith would have an opportunity to exact revenge for the killing of his friend. But not if Fountain killed Smith first. This is the basis of his claim of self-defense. Being too weak to overcome Smith by himself Fountain had to find a way to get Silverstein to be in a position to help him murder Smith. It was fortunate that the control unit Lieutenant had ordered both Silverstein and Fountain to be housed upstairs on "C" range. This range is the only one visible from the front door of the cell block.

Since both these inmates were housed on "C range" that also meant that they could rec together. Recreation was in two cages about 8 feet across the range walk from the cells. At the time of this incident the cages each had a pull up bar, an exercise bike and a bar used to do other exercises on. Mostly recreation was done individually. Meaning that the convict was in the rec cage by himself. If two cons wished to rec together, and the control unit manager and Lieutenant approved, they could upon request. This pair of convicts were to put 4 men in their graves before the administration decided to split them up. But for now, they were allowed to rec together because if it was denied they would throw temper tantrums, which included things like, break over 40 windows in a few minutes, set fires and flood the unit.

What Fountain did was use a 1" piece of hacksaw blade to cut a metal bed frame in his cell. He made a knife, called a shank in prison, that was 9" long, " wide and 3/8" thick. The concrete floor of the unit was an effective grinding stone to sharpen them metal into a razor sharp killing tool. Some tape and cardboard to make a sheath and the weapon was ready for use. I used to hear convicts sharpening these weapons late at night, wondering who was the intended victim. Part of a cell inspection is to look for fresh sharpening marks on the concrete.

The next thing to accomplish was to cut a hole in the rec cage. The lower half of the walls of the cage was flat. We called it expanded metal. It was made of mild steel. Fountain used his small 1" bit of hacksaw blade to put a hole in this wall. The hole he cut was a little over a foot wide by 1 foot tall. He could not cut it all in a single rec period. He concealed the cut with paint the prison gave him in art supplies and tape a convict stole from an officer when he was not looking.

Now Fountain had the murder weapon and the means to get out onto the range. Next, he would have to get Silverstein into the rec cage with him and Smith on the range alone.

On 27 September 1982 at 7:30 in the evening Fountain was up for rec. He requested that Silverstein be allowed to rec in the cage with him. As this was already approved and Silverstein consented, they were both put in the same cage on "C rage" of H unit. This was a move that the unit line staff liked. When two convicts were able to get rec at the same time it meant that recreation could be finished early and everybody could play spades in the office.

Smith had finished his rec period earlier in the shift and was due a shower. He was let out of his cell at 7:45 and locked into the shower. This was accomplished with no guards on the range. The two doors were opened and Smith just walked with his cup, towel, soap and a long brass shank hidden under his towel.

Smith had cut the long brass rod from a stainless-steel toilet in his cell months earlier and had concealed it somewhere in the unit. Despite daily searches the guards were unable to locate this rod or other parts of several toilets. These toilets had been removed from the unit months before due to the convicts making weapons from the parts of them. Some of these rods have never been recovered and presumably are still inside the prison somewhere.

The stage is now set. All the actors are in place. Smith yelled at the guard watching the range that he was finished with his shower. At about 8:00 the guard opened the bars on the shower and Smith walked to the front of the range and asked the guard to fill his cup with hot water. The guard took the cup and walked about 15 feet to his right and filled the cup with steaming hot water.

This was when Fountain made his move. He removed the plate he had cut from the wall in the rec cage. He had the shank concealed inside his pants. He took in out still in the cardboard sheath and squeezed out the hole onto the range. He took the shank out of the sheath and dropped it in front of 11 cell, which was occupied. Fountain ran down the range toward the front where Smith had his back to him and was waiting on his hot water.

Smith heard Fountain running and turned in his direction. He saw that Fountain was armed and at the back of the range he saw Silverstein wiggling out of the rec cage. Smith knew he had to defeat Fountain quickly or the two convicts would team up on him. He dropped his towel and, completely naked, he rushed at Fountain. The two met in front of the Shower. Smith was able to stick his shank in Fountain's upper right chest. The two struggled and it looked for a moment that Smith might win as he stabbed at Fountain's arms. But by this time Silverstein had arrived.

It was then Smith was distracted by the presence of Silverstein and Fountain stabbed him several more times. Silverstein grabbed Smith and tripped him causing him to fall onto his back. While Fountain held the arm Smith had his shank in, Silverstein punched Smith in the face. Silverstein stomped on Smith's hand causing him to let go of his knife. Then he held Smith immobile while Fountain stabbed Smith dozens of times. At this point Smith was dazed and defenseless.

Fountain and Silverstein stabbed Smith a total of 67 times. Silverstein used Smith's shank while Fountain used the one he still had tied to his wrist. They rolled Smith over and Silverstein delivered savage kicks to the side of the head while Fountain stabbed him over and over. This was all witnessed by the staff who had responded to the guard's call for assistance. The entire attack took less than 5 minutes.

The activities lieutenant along with the unit manager arrived in the unit in time to see Fountain and Silverstein still stabbing Smith on the floor. Several other staff were in the unit and watching the murder through the bars by this time. They all saw Silverstein and Fountain take Smith by the arms and drag him 5 feet down the range away from the front grill. This is where the false rumor of dragging Smith up and down the range comes from. The staff started to yell at Silverstein and Fountain to give up their weapons. This caused them to drop Smith's arms. Fountain started walking to the back of the range and Silverstein bent over and stabbed Smith 3 times in the neck.

After Silverstein stood up, he also began walking to the rear of the range.

In the book the hot house, by Pete Earley, it is said they dragged the body up and down the range. This is not true; they were going to, but only got to drag him 5 feet to the view of cell #2. Silverstein walked up and down the range shaking hands and talking to the convicts in the cells on C range. The white convicts for the most part congratulated Fountain on a good killing and shook his hand. They high fived, laughed and Fountain raised both hands in the air like a prize fighter who won the match. Silverstein made sure to threaten to do the same to anybody who disrespected the Aryan Brotherhood.

A lieutenant who had arrived on the other side of the locked door ordered Fountain several times to give him the knife. Fountain responded with "It's over, just wait a minute." He asked Silverstein twice if he was done. Fountain checked Smith's pulse first at his neck and then his wrist. Apparently, he felt no pulse. It was then he untied the knife from his hand and passed it through the bars to the lieutenant. Silverstein was seen passing his shank to somebody in a cell. Fountain kicked a piece of flat metal that had been cut from the rec cage under the grill to the officers on the other side.

Silverstein was told to go into the shower. As he walked past the dead Smith, he kicked him in the side and said "You punk, now tell me what you're going to do to me."

The grill was opened by order of the lieutenant. Fountain was cuffed and moved from the range. Silverstein had all his clothes removed from him in the shower. He was given new clothes and both convicts were taken to the back of B range and put into the closed front cells we call the box cars.

This killing started the race war that lasted almost my entire career. There has been a lot of misinformation and speculation on what really happed to Cadillac Smith. This video was made with the assistance of the official records and people I know who witnessed it.