Police say 47-year-old Jema Schunke died seven days after being beaten inside her cell by fellow inmate Virginia Hampton.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A Jacksonville woman pleaded guilty in Duval County court Wednesday to the murder of her cellmate inside the Duval County jail.
Jema Schunke, 47, was found injured inside her cell on Friday, Aug. 15 last year, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. Schunke was taken to the hospital, but after progressively worsening in condition, she was pronounced dead seven days later.
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Hampton was initially arrested for battery after Schunke’s hospitalization, but was rearrested two months later for 2nd-degree murder after the medical examiner ruled the death a homicide due to blunt force injuries.
According to the arrest report, Hampton climbed up to Schunke’s bunk that evening and began punching her. The attack continued as they moved toward the bars of the cell, where JSO said video captured Schunke falling to the floor as Hampton continued attacking. Afterward, Hampton covered Schunke with a blanket and went back to her bunk.
During a police interview, JSO says Hampton admitted to the attack, claiming she was taking out her anger about a recent breakup with her boyfriend on Schunke. “She also expressed anger that Schunke had been permitted to shower, while Correctional Officers had become confrontational with her and threatened to use a taser,” wrote the reporting JSO officer.
Hampton pleaded for mercy from the judge in a December letter, while she was still pleading not guilty, claiming she had been in fear for her life at the time of the incident and that she hurt Schunke in self-defense.
She is scheduled for a status hearing in court on Sept. 3. It is unclear when she will be sentenced.
Held Without Help
A First Coast News investigation into the incident revealed that Jema Schunke was not even supposed to be in the jail at the time of her attack.
A judge had ordered Jema Schunke to be taken to a state mental health hospital a month before she died last year after finding her incompetent to stand trial.
Florida law requires inmates who are deemed incompetent to stand trial to be sent to a state mental health facility within 15 days of the judge’s order. Schunke remained in jail 35 days after her court order. A spokesperson for JSO told First Coast News that Schunke was not transferred to the Florida State Hospital because of ‘capacity issues’ at the facility.
In February of 2026, JSO said more than 40 inmates inside the Duval County jail were waiting to be transferred to a state facility.