Inmate shows no improvement

LINCOLN — The inmate injured in an April attack at the Nebraska State Penitentiary can open his eyes and responds to pain, but he remains in a coma and most likely will not improve, according to court records filed Tuesday.

Charles Talley, 45, has been on life-support since he received a traumatic brain injury in a prison attack.

No arrests have been made. The Lancaster County Attorney's Office is reviewing the case, which was investigated by the Nebraska State Patrol.

A Lancaster County Court judge had been appointed as guardian to make Talley's medical and financial decisions because none of his relatives could be found. On Tuesday, the judge decided that the guardianship should continue based on a written affidavit from an attorney appointed to represent Talley's best interests.

The attorney, John O. Frey, wrote that Talley has been living in a long-term care facility in Friend, Neb. His doctor, Frey wrote, “reports that his prognosis is for little, if any, improvement.”

Talley opens his eyes, but does not respond to commands. He jerks away from painful stimuli, Frey wrote.

Talley, who was born in Arkansas, had been serving time for killing a fellow carnival worker in 1994 in Potter, Neb.

Contact the writer:

444-1083, lynn.safranek@owh.com