Jonathan Michael Monk Sentenced to Die in North Carolina | Death Row (US)

On March 26th, 2025, Jonathan Michael Monk was sentenced to death in North Carolina, not once, but four times. But to understand why, we have to go back to a fall afternoon in 2017 inside the walls of Pasquetank Correctional Institution. That day, inside a sewing plant tucked behind barbed wire and steel doors, the deadliest prison escape attempt in North Carolina’s history unfolded.

 And Jonathan was at the center of it all. It was October 12th, just after 2:40 p.m. The sewing plant sat above the prison’s warehouse, connected by a creaking old freight elevator. Inmates worked there sewing safety vests and embroidering logos for state departments and nonprofits. It was supposed to be a controlled space, secure, monitored, routine.

 But that afternoon, it became a war zone. Mikl Brady, who later claimed to be the pack leader, was tired of being locked up. He wanted to get out. And just beyond the warehouse, a loading dock offered the closest shot at freedom. Several fences, all wrapped in razor wire, stood between him and a nearby farm on the edge of the Virginia border, and he would do anything to get there.

It was 2:43 p.m. when the plan was set in motion. Mikl and Seth Frasier turned on Veronica Darden, the plant manager. And it wasn’t just a fight, it was an ambush. They struck her with a pair of scissors and a claw hammer, relentless and fast. When she lay dead, Mikl left the corridor, still holding the bloodied hammer, and walked it down the hallway to Wise as a Buckman.

 Then they went straight for the store room. Inside, Jonathan Monk had already cornered 35-year-old Justin Smith, the only corrections officer on duty in the area, responsible for overseeing more than 30 inmates. And that’s where the second wave of violence began. Wises started hitting Justin with the hammer over and over while Jonathan and Mikl joined in, beating him with anything they could get their hands on.

It was three inmates against one officer, and Justin didn’t stand a chance. Blow after blow landed until he collapsed, broken and bleeding. But it wasn’t over yet. Not by a long shot. At 2:58 p.m., using Officer Justin Smith’s stolen radio, the group sent out a fake distress call, a staged report of a disturbance on the opposite side of the prison.

 As officers scrambled to respond, leaving their posts, smoke began to rise from the sewing plant. A fire had been lit and within minutes, the building was filled with panic and confusion. No one knew where to go or who to trust. Just 3 minutes later, the escape team made their next move. With flames roaring behind them, they pushed forward, sprinting toward the warehouse loading dock.

 That’s where they crossed paths with Jeffrey How, a 31-year-old maintenance worker, along with two correctional officers, 49-year-old Wendy Shannon and George [ __ ] All three were brutally attacked and later rushed to the hospital in critical condition, but the damage had been done. In the weeks that followed, Jeffrey and Wendy succumbed to their injuries.

 And even then, the worst wasn’t over yet. A 911 call was made from inside the prison, and a maintenance worker, voiced tight with panic, tried to explain what was happening. “There was a fire,” he said. Multiple staff members were down, stabbed with scissors, beaten with hammers. And you could hear the chaos behind him as he warned another staffer.

We all need to get together and be ready to fight. I’ve got me a hammer out. I’m ready. But what none of them knew at that moment was that two of their co-workers were already dead. Then came 3:02 p.m. when the inmates ran toward the first fence, pushing carts full of tools, hoping that would be enough to break through.

 That fence was their last hurdle before freedom. But fate and timing closed in. Just as they reached the perimeter, a wave of staff arrived at the loading dock. And in the scramble, they managed to catch Jonathan Monk before he reached the fence. But the other three were able to make it over. At the second fence, they managed to capture Wisaza.

 He got snagged in the razor wire hanging upside down. A blast of pepper spray hit him and he dropped hard. He tried to run but barely made it a few feet before he was caught and cuffed. Meanwhile, Seth and Mikl made it across the yard, dodging obstacles and heading straight for the prison’s outer fences.

 They slipped through a roll of razor wire and reached the final barrier. But before they could climb, it was over. A correctional officer and several law enforcement units pulled up, cutting off any chance they had left. A warning shot was fired, and finally they surrendered. By the time order was fully restored, it was 3:20 p.m.

, almost 40 minutes after the first attack. But by then, it was too late. Veronica Darden and Justin Smith were already gone. Wendy Shannon and Jeffrey How were critically injured and died shortly after and nine other staff members were hurt. And for what? Mikl later admitted the escape wasn’t some impulsive move. He and the others had been planning it for months.

 They all lived in the same unit and knew the prison’s weak spots. They noticed Thursdays were light on staff, especially around the loading dock, and that’s why they chose that day to make their move. He also revealed that officer Justin Smith was targeted deliberately. Mikl claimed Justin wasn’t a good communicator, which is why they took his radio first, cutting him off from help early in the attack.

 When asked what pushed him to plan the escape, Mikl didn’t hold back. He said it was because prisoners were treated unfairly and added, “The race card was always thrown.” But his words rang hollow in the face of what had happened. Within hours of the arrests, prosecutors announced they would be seeking the death penalty for all four inmates involved in the botched prison escape.

 In October 2019, just over 2 years after the attack, a jury found Brady guilty on all counts. It took them barely 30 minutes to decide, and he was sentenced to death four times. Mikl had already been serving a 24-year sentence for shooting a state trooper back in 2013. Back then, he’d hit the officer, Michael Pototts, with four bullets during a traffic stop and pleaded guilty for attempted murder.

 Mikl was 30 years old when he was sentenced to death. In November 2023, Weises Abuckman became the second inmate sentenced to death for the failed escape. He had already been serving 32 years for the 2014 murder of Thermont Davis when the prison attack happened. Weaza was 30 years old when he received the death penalty.

 The next one was Jonathan Monk. On March 26th, 2025, he became the third inmate sentenced to death for his role in the deadly escape attempt. He was already behind bars for the 2011 attempted murder of Tabitha Dupree, a brutal knife attack where she was stabbed at least 15 times. Tabitha was married to Justin, a military veteran who had once served alongside Jonathan.

 Prosecutors argued that Jonathan was angry over work rellated issues and took that rage out on Tabitha in an act of twisted revenge. When it came time to decide his fate for the 2017 prison escape, the jury didn’t take long. After just 2 days of deliberation, they returned with a unanimous decision, four death sentences.

 Jonathan Michael Monk was 36 years old when the jury decided he would die. The last of the four, Seth Frasier, is still awaiting trial. At the time of the prison break, Seth was already behind bars, serving time for a 2011 burglary. But that charge only scratched the surface. The full story was far more disturbing.

 Seth, who had previously been convicted as a sex offender, broke into a home late one night and crept into a teenage girl’s bedroom trying to assault her. She was just 14 years old at the time. When she opened her eyes and saw him standing over her bed, she screamed and Seth ran. As of now, no execution dates have been scheduled yet.

 In North Carolina, executions have been on pause since 2006. Over the last two decades, more than 100 individuals have been sentenced to death. But the state has not resumed executions. Jonathan will now be added to that list. When or if the state resumes carrying out death sentences remains unknown. In the last few years, multiple states in the US have resumed executions after extended pauses.

 But for now, North Carolina hasn’t, and Jonathan remains on death row together with Mikl and Weisa.