Inmate death raises jurisdictional concerns

12-30-2011 Virginia:

Severely beaten Red Onion State Prison inmate Kawaski Bass could have arrived in an emergency room just beyond Virginia’s state line in less than two hours.

Instead, the state’s jurisdiction-based policy on hospital care made sure his battered and bruised body lay in the back of an ambulance for a nearly four-hour ride on Sept. 6.

“It amazed me to know they took him so far … despite other hospitals being in the area,” said Bass’ sister, Tarsha Bass.

Guards at the Pound-based prison found the inmate unconscious in his cell and initially had an ambulance rush him to the nearby Dickenson Community Hospital. But the devastating head injuries and internal bleeding were too much for the local medical center to handle.

So, doctors wheeled Kawaski Bass back into the ambulance and sent him to what is known as a Level I trauma care center - a hospital staffed night and day to tackle the most debilitating injuries.

A map shows the nearest such hospital to be Holston Valley Medical Center in Kingsport, Tenn., roughly 75 miles away.

Yet the ambulance was sent to Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital in Roanoke, Va., roughly 197 miles away. That way, guards could maintain their custody over the inmate.

“The Virginia prison system stipulates that we cannot transport their prisoners across state lines,” said Mountain States Hospital spokeswoman Teresa Hicks, whose company runs both the Dickenson and Kingsport hospitals.

Kawaski Bass died hours after arriving at the Roanoke hospital in the early morning of Sept. 7.

Hospitals

Bass would have had a handful of treatment options if the state line was not an issue.
Paramedics could have rushed him the 86 miles to Johnson City Medical Center in Johnson City, Tenn. It’s also a Level I trauma center and requires half the travel time as the trek to Roanoke.

Even closer, at 78 miles, is Bristol Regional Medical Center, considered a Level II trauma center because it lacks some round-the-clock surgical specialists, according to the American College of Surgeons, which ranks trauma centers. Still, the Bristol hospital is staffed with trauma surgeons to handle the worst injuries day and night.

“It sort of makes sense that you would want to be treated as soon as possible,” said Dr. Renan Castillo, of the John Hopkins Center for Injury Research and Policy.

Bass’ situation seems to have revolved around what the medical community calls the Golden Hour of trauma care – the theory that a patient’s greatest chance of survival is based on receiving the right surgical treatment within the first hour.

But it’s an unproven theory.

“There are a lot of surgeons that definitely believe in the Golden Hour,” Castillo said. “It’s definitely true that you’re racing against the clock on some level.”

Prison guards found Bass on the floor of his cell around 1 p.m. and prison medical staff performed CPR on him for nearly 60 minutes before finding a pulse, sister Tarsha Bass said.

The medical staff hooked Kawaski Bass to a respirator to help him breathe, the sister said, and shipped him by ambulance to the community hospital across the county line in the town of Clintwood. The American College of Surgeons does not rate the hospital as a trauma-care center.

Bass could have been transported to Roanoke by helicopter, which the Virginia State Police said is usually an hour-long flight. An ongoing rain storm made helicopter transport too dangerous, the Virginia Department of Corrections confirmed, and so the trip was done by ambulance.

The Virginia State Police covers parts of Southwest Virginia with an Abingdon-based Med Flight helicopter and confirmed that it has ferried state prison inmates to Roanoke.

On a clear night, the helicopter could have departed the community hospital in Clintwood and reached the Roanoke hospital within the Golden Hour.

It could also reach the Johnson City Hospital in 15 minutes.

“I think the policy needs to be changed,” Tarsha Bass said of the state-line rule.

“When it’s a matter of life and death … they should be able to bend it a little.”

Injuries

Though parts of the medical community consider the clock to be a dangerous foe, Virginia law does not.

“There’s nothing that says that people need to be sent to the closest hospital,” said Michael D. Berg, regulation and compliance manager with the Virginia Office of Emergency Medical Services.

In fact, Berg noted that the decision on where to send patients is usually left to the attending physician.

Hospital location becomes a legal factor only when it comes to Virginia’s prison inmates.

“It is a jurisdictional issue,” DOC spokesman Larry Traylor said in an email. “Our authority does not extend beyond the border of Virginia unless there is a specific prior agreement or extradition order of some type.”

Simply put, the DOC would lose custody of an inmate as soon as the ambulance or helicopter crossed beyond Virginia’s state line. An out-of-state judge would have to sign an extradition order just so Virginia prisons could retain custody all throughout the hospital stay and even past the eventual discharge.

Tarsha Bass, a licensed practical nurse from Hampton, arrived at the Roanoke hospital with her mother late at night.

A doctor told them that brain swelling and massive abdominal bleeding were the leading causes of her brother’s trauma.

At one point, hospital staff suggested that Kawaski Bass might undergo surgery to relieve the pressure on his swelling brain, the sister said.

He died soon after mother and sister arrived at the hospital. He was never wheeled into an operating room.

Kawaski Bass is the second of two inmates killed over the past 19 months inside Red Onion, a maximum security prison located near the Kentucky border.

The first happened July 28, 2010, when Robert C. Gleason followed through on a threat to kill again unless sentenced to death for slaying an inmate more than a year earlier. Gleason is now on Death Row awaiting a Virginia Supreme Court review of two death sentences.

With Bass, corrections officials and investigators refuse to confirm the cause of injuries or even a suspect because the investigation is ongoing.

The Bristol Herald Courier has learned that John Keyvann Watson, 31, is suspected of the altercation that left Bass, 31, unconscious in his prison cell.

Watson is serving 103 years for two counts of second-degree murder that stem from a 2002 attack in Richmond, court records show. The Virginia Department of Corrections has tentatively set his good-time release date for Sept. 7, 2100.

Kawaski Bass was serving a 65-year sentence for 1998 and 1999 convictions of robbery, use of a firearm, carjacking, assault and battery, and conspiracy in several Virginia counties and had a good-time release date of Jan. 21, 2061. ..Source.. by Michael Owens | Bristol Herald Courier

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Mom sues state over son’s death at Virginia prison

7-17-2012

BRISTOL, Va. (AP) — Officers ignored an inmate’s concerns that a prison gang was out to kill him and then let his cries for help go unanswered as he was beaten to death in his cell, the inmate’s mother claims in a lawsuit against the state and prison officials.

The lawsuit, filed last month in Hampton, claims officers at Red Onion State Prison didn’t respond to Kawaski Bass’ pleas for help. It also says the state failed to adequately train or supervise employees responsible for maintaining safety within the housing unit where Bass was attacked.

Bass, 32, was severely beaten in his cell on Sept. 6, 2011. He was pronounced dead hours later after a 200-mile ride from the prison in Pound to a Roanoke hospital.

He was “heard by other inmates within the housing unit screaming for assistance for several minutes and none of the corrections officers . responded to his pleas for help,” reads the lawsuit, filed by Richmond attorney Horace F. Hunter.

Virginia State Police have not charged Bass’ cellmate, John Keyvann Watson, 32. Bass has claimed he beat Bass because he was defending against a sexual assault.

Virginia Department of Corrections spokesman Larry Traylor; that it is department policy not to comment on pending litigation.

The lawsuit claims Bass told officers that members of the Bloods prison gang had indicated they planned to kill him. It says Bass was placed in a cell with Watson, who was a known associate of the Bloods.

Watson is serving 103 years for two counts of second-degree murder. Bass was serving a 65-year sentence for robbery, carjacking, assault and other charges.

The mother of another inmate, Aaron Cooper, also has given notice that she plans to sue the state and Red Onion officials over the death of her son at the prison in 2010.

Cooper was strangled to death by inmate Robert Gleason through a separate cage on the outdoor recreation yard. Gleason already had killed another inmate and vowed to continue killing unless he was given the death penalty.

Cooper’s mother gave notice that she may file a civil lawsuit because the prison “failed to properly segregate and monitor violent and dangerous criminals.”

Gleason was sentenced to death in September. ..Source..

For the third time this month, a sex offender is apparently murdered in prison

Other deaths in article posted separately

5-29-2012 California:

An inmate was found dead in his cell Tuesday at California State Prison-Los Angeles County. The death is being treated as a homicide and the inmate's cellmate, Aaron Alvarez, 42, is a suspect. Alvarez, serving a life sentence for first degree murder, was placed in administrative segregation while the case is investigated by prison officials and the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department.

The victim's name has not been released, as his family has not yet been notified of his death. According to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, the deceased inmate had been in prison since November 30, 1999 for aggravated sexual assault of a child in San Diego County.

Sex offenders are known targets of other inmates in prison. And this death is at least the third such apparent homicide of a sex offender in a California prison this month and at least the sixth this year. ..Source.. by CDCR Today

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Suspected Inmate Homicide at California State Prison-Los Angeles County

5-29-2012:

LANCASTER-- Officials at California State Prison- Los Angeles County are investigating the death of an inmate as a homicide after he was found unresponsive in his cell Tuesday morning.

The inmate, whose name is being withheld pending notification of his next of kin, was pronounced dead at the institution at 1:18 a.m.

Prison officials have named his cellmate Aaron Alvarez, 42, as the suspect in the case. Alvarez has been placed in the administrative segregation unit pending the investigation.

The victim was received by California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) on November 30, 1999 from San Diego County. He was serving a life sentence for aggravated sexual assault of a child.

Inmate Alvarez was received by CDCR on July 11, 2008 from Kern County. He was serving a life sentence for first-degree murder.

The case is under investigation by the institution’s Investigative Services Unit and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Additionally, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office has been notified.

LAC provides educational, vocational, re-entry and self-help programs that provide inmates life skills and work skills that can be used in support of their efforts at reintegration into society. The facility has a unique Progressive Programming Facility developed specifically to provide a program, free from disruptive behavior, in which personal and CDCR goals can be more readily achieved.

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North County child molester killed in prison cell, authorities say

6-1-2012:

An Oceanside man was found dead earlier this week in his cell at a state prison facility in Lancaster, where he was serving a life sentence for aggravated sexual assault of his 1-year-old stepdaughter, according to authorities and news reports.

The man, who was identified Thursday as Francisco Javier Aguilar, 36, was found dead at about 1 a.m. Tuesday, according to a media advisory released later Tuesday by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

Authorities named Aguilar's cellmate, Aaron Alvarez, 42, as the suspect in Aguilar's death, according to the advisory. Alvarez is serving a life sentence for murder.

The Los Angeles County coroner's office had not released the cause and manner of Aguilar's death Thursday evening.

Aguilar was arrested July 1, 1998, after he called 911 to report that his 1-year-old stepdaughter was "wigging out," according to a July 3, 1998, article in the North County Times. Authorities found the girl bruised and injured in a way that suggested sexual trauma.

Authorities said Aguilar, then 22 and living in Oceanside, had been baby-sitting the girl while her mother was at work, according to the article.

The county of San Diego turned Aguilar over to the prison system on Nov. 30, 1999, according to prison officials. ..Source..

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Dead Lancaster inmate had cable around neck; cellmate is a suspect

6-14-2012:

A man serving a life sentence for murder is suspected of killing his cellmate, who was found dead with a cable wrapped around his neck early Tuesday at a state prison in Lancaster, officials said.

The victim, a 36-year-old man whose name has not been released yet, was pronounced dead about 1:18 a.m. after being found unresponsive in his bunk, according to a news release from California State Prison, Los Angeles County.

His cellmate, Aaron Alvarez, 42, is suspected in the killing and was placed in isolation in the prison’s administrative segregation unit, officials said.

Alvarez is serving a life sentence for first-degree murder on a Kern County conviction.

The slain inmate had been in prison since 1999 and was serving a life sentence for sexual assault of a child in San Diego County, prison officials said.

The death is being investigated by prison staff and detectives from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

It marks the second time in the last six months that an inmate at the Antelope Valley prison has been accused of killing a cellmate.

In December, guards found an inmate dead in his bunk after his cellmate passed them a note at breakfast alerting them to the body.

After investigators saw "something suspicious" on the body, the cellmate became the chief suspect.

Officials said Tuesday the December homicide is still under investigation. ..Source.. by Kim Christensen

From prison to a pauper's grave

3-28-2012 Mississippi:

VICKSBURG, Miss. (WTW) — When Vicksburg native Stuart Brooks was killed Feb. 21 in his prison cell at the East Mississippi Correctional Facility, a family member's old fear was proved prophetic.

"Stuart is very much in need of psychological help," Brooks' aunt wrote in 1995, before he was sentenced for the sexual battery of her 9-year-old son. "I know that with his mentality, he would not survive in a prison, someone would probably kill him. I don't think he'll ever be able to function in a normal society."

Brooks was 18 when he was convicted in Warren County Circuit Court of assaulting his young cousin. Writing to then-Judge Frank Vollor as part of Vollor's pre-sentencing investigation, Brooks' aunt was torn — angry about what happened to her son but concerned for her nephew.

"He's going to need help for the rest of his life and should be locked up that long," she wrote.

Instead, Brooks was released after serving 15 years of a 30-year sentence, was re-arrested and sent back to prison for failing to register as a sex offender.

About halfway through that three-year sentence, he was strangled, an autopsy showed, at the Lost Gap facility. His cellmate has been charged in his death.

With Brooks' death, all those close to the 1995 case are gone.

Brooks' aunt, who wrote to Vollor, died in 1996; his mother died in 2006. The victim died in 2007. Brooks, who was 35, was given a pauper's burial March 6 in Vicksburg's Cedar Hill Cemetery, the $500 expense approved by the Warren County Board of Supervisors the day before and the plot provided by the city.

The burial was attended by Brooks' sister, Leslie Crosby, now of Madison, his aunt Cynthia Brooks of Houston, his friend Annie Sims of Vicksburg and 10 or 15 others, Sims said.

Crosby, 37, said she last saw her brother in 1993, before she moved away from Vicksburg.

Family members had not visited Stuart Brooks during his incarceration, as finances, transportation problems and other issues got in the way, Cynthia Brooks said.

"In spite of the situation, all the different things that get in the way, they are still your family, regardless," she said.

Sims, 42, said Brooks was a lifelong friend. The two stayed in touch during his years in prison, and it was Sims whom the prison's chaplain, John Newbaker, called Feb. 21 to say Brooks' body had been found.

Sims, Crosby and Cynthia Brooks said getting information from prison officials has been difficult and they've been "given the runaround."

Sims was given conflicting information about where Brooks' body was taken, and Crosby was told she was "not on the list" to be told what happened.

"No one wanted to talk to me," said Crosby. "They said they couldn't give me any information and kept saying I needed to speak with the warden."

She didn't reach him until two days after Brooks' death, and by that time what she knew of the crime she learned in news accounts, the earliest of which reported that he committed suicide. Not believing that, Crosby visited the prison and contacted the Winston County chapter of the NAACP for help.

"I believe if I wasn't bugging them, it would still be (classified as) a suicide," said Crosby.

Sims said Brooks wrote to her "a lot."

"Stuart was a character," she said. "He'd get along with anybody. You just had to get to know him. Yes, Stuart would react, but somebody would have had to be picking on him."

After his arrest on the sexual battery charge, Brooks was separated from other inmates in the Warren County Jail "due to his mental and physical problems," court documents show. He went through other inmates' things, struck at jailers and smeared things with urine and feces.

A psychologist at the Mississippi State Hospital at Whitfield declared Brooks competent to stand trial.

Pre-sentencing documents in Brooks' court file include the letter from his aunt as well as a 1995 psychological profile.

From an early age, Brooks had mental and emotional problems, as well as a profound speech impediment, documents show. He was first referred for treatment as a 5-year-old who was difficult to handle in the classroom; medication was prescribed. He was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and was said to be impulsive and aggressive; tests showed he was mildly retarded.

"Stuart was a profoundly troubled young man," said Mike Bonner, who was his court-appointed defense attorney in 1995. He declined to say more, citing ethical considerations.

Then-Assistant District Attorney John Bullard, who prosecuted the case, declined to comment.

In news reports following the jury's guilty verdict in 1995, Bullard was quoted as saying, "There's nothing you can do for a guy like this but lock him up." The pre-sentencing investigation, Bullard reportedly said, revealed "a complete and documented history of aggressiveness and abuse toward other children."

Vollor sentenced Brooks to the maximum term, 30 years, but Mississippi Department of Corrections released him May 27, 2010. Brooks was considered to have "flat-timed," or completed his sentence under the law, said MDOC spokesman Tara Booth.

"Under the old law (previous to the Truth-in-Sentencing bill which requires sex offenders to serve their entire sentence), he was able to earn time off his sentence," Booth said, through work, completing prison programs and other methods.

MDOC policy calls for sex offenders to be given release counseling by case managers that includes information on registering as a sex offender, she said. Case managers also typically provide information on where inmates who have no place to go can find a shelter, Booth said.

Sims and Crosby said Brooks was given a bus ticket to Vicksburg and $25, and he went to a local men's shelter. The women said they did not think he understood the requirement to register, and Sims said when she tried to help him register 10 days after his release, he was re-arrested on the spot.

In July 2010, the grand jury indicted him for failing to register as a sex offender, and Brooks pleaded guilty and was returned to the EMCF Sept. 14 to serve three years.

The facility is a private prison contracted by the MDOC.

Crosby said she purchased a transcript of the 1995 trial and the family is working on obtaining legal representation but has nothing formal yet.

"I want to see, if they knew he wasn't supposed to be there, if he was supposed to be in a mental facility, whoever is accountable for sending him there," Crosby said. "Even if it is East Mississippi Correctional Facility and not Parchman, there are still hardened criminals in there." ..Source.. by Pamela Hitchins, Vicksburg Post

Convicted San Gabriel child molester killed in prison

1-9-2011 California:

ARCADIA - A registered sex offender convicted of assaulting a 5-year-old girl inside an Arcadia bookstore in 2008 and sent to prison in September was beaten to death in his cell, state corrections officials said Wednesday.

Jaime Elvis Elizondo, 35, of San Gabriel was killed Dec. 20. His High Desert State Prison cellmate, Steven Cisneros, 36, is the prime suspect, said Lt. Charlie Hahn, prison spokesman.

The Lassen County Sheriff-Coroner's Office said Elizondo died of blunt force trauma.

Elizondo was convicted in September of exposing himself to the young victim inside a Borders bookstore at the Westfield Shopping Mall in Arcadia in 2008. The assault was captured on the store's video system.

A witness confronted Elizondo and later found his photo on a Web site listing registered sex offenders and gave police the information.

The Megan's Law website lists Elizondo as having a conviction for lewd and lascivious acts on a child under 14, but it does not list the date of that conviction.

At the time of Elizondo's arrest, Arcadia police praised the witness not only for confronting Elizondo and interfering with his abuse, but also for following up and reporting the crime to police.

Elizondo was sent to High Desert State Prison to begin serving a 30-year-to-life term for lewd acts on a child under 14 following his conviction in the Arcadia case.

Cisneros, 36, arrived at the prison in November to serve a 56-years-to-life sentence for murder, officials said.

The 5-foot, 4-inch, 200-pound killer was convicted in February 2010 of first-degree murder in the stabbing of his roommate, Lawrence Kaiser, 44, at a sober-living facility in Santa Barbara.

After Elizondo's beating death, Cisneros was placed in segregation while the homicide is investigated, Hahn said.

Both Elizondo and Cisneros arrived at the 4,600-inmate facility in Susanville on the same day - Nov. 30, prison officials said.

At his request, Elizondo was being housed the prison's "sensitive needs yard," a special ward for inmates "with victimization concerns, who feel their safety could be put in jeopardy" if mixed in with the general inmate population, Hahn said.

Cisneros also was being housed in the sensitive needs yard, Hahn said. ..Source.. by Hector Gonzalez, Staff Writer

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Sex offender killed in state prison

1-5-2011 California:

ARCADIA - A serial child molester convicted of assaulting a 5-year-old girl inside an Arcadia bookstore in 2008 and sent to prison in September for 30 years was beaten to death by his cellmate, prison officials said Wednesday.

Jaime Elizondo, 30, of San Gabriel was killed by cellmate Steven Cisneros, said Lt. Charlie Hahn, spokesman for the High Desert State Prison. Elizondo was convicted of exposing himself to the victim inside a Borders bookstore at an Arcadia mall in 2008. The assault was captured on the store's video system.

A witness confronted Elizondo and later found his photo on a Web site listing registered sex offenders and gave police the information. Here's our original post on the story with a photo of the molestation. ..Source.. by Frank Girardot

SC inmate fatally stabbed in max security prison

1-2-2010 South Carolina:

McCORMICK, S.C. (AP) - A prisoner has been stabbed to death by a fellow inmate at a maximum security prison in South Carolina.

Authorities say 26-year-old Lamont Perry was attacked around 7:30 a.m. Saturday in a dormitory at the McCormick Correctional Institution and died a short time later.

Perry had spent more than four years behind bars on a 15-year sentence for second-degree criminal sexual conduct out of Dorchester County.

Prison officials say they are investigating the incident with the State Law Enforcement Division and didn't release the name of the inmate suspected of stabbing Perry. ..Source.. Live5News.com

Inmate charged with murdering fellow inmate

1-26-2010 Georgia:

VALDOSTA, GA (WALB) –Authorities have now charged a Valdosta State Prison inmate with murdering a fellow inmate.

Anthony Rogers is accused of killing John W Arnett last Wednesday night (1-20-2010) at the Prison.

Rogers is already serving a life sentence for a 1997 Murder in Savannah.

Arnett was serving time for Child Molestation in Appling and Bartow Counties.

Arnett was found Thursday morning and later pronounced dead at South Georgia Medical Center.

The Corrections Department did not release details on how Arnett was killed. ..Source.. by WALB News

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Convicted child molester strangled in prison

1-26-2010 Georgia:

A 27-year-old Valdosta State Prison inmate was strangled to death, according to the Lowndes County coroner.

John Arnett, who was convicted of child molestation in both Bartow and Appling counties, was found in his cell last Thursday. The cause of death was manual strangulation, according to Coroner Bill Watson.

Arnett's sentence began last July, according to the Georgia Department of Corrections.

An inmate already serving time for a previous murder conviction has been accused in Arnett's death. Anthony Rogers has been in jail since October 1998 following his conviction for murder in the Savannah area.

Arnett is at least the third state inmate to die in recent weeks.

On Jan. 1, guards at the state prison in Jackson found 35-year-old Leeland Mark Braley hanging in his cell. Prison officials say Braley, sentenced to death in 1999 for the murder of a Zebulon insurance agent, apparently took his own life.

Timothy Pruitt's death more than three weeks earlier was ruled an "alleged suicide," though his death remains under investigation. ..Source.. by Alexis Stevens, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Inmate at federal lockup in southern Illinois dies in apparent homicide

12-3-2009 Illinois:

MARION, Ill. (AP) — The FBI is investigating the death of an inmate at the federal penitentiary in Marion that appears to be a homicide.

Prison spokesman Jeffrey Baney says staff found the body of 32-year-old Robert Running Bear Jr. on Wednesday morning.

Baney says an autopsy will be conducted.

Running Bear was sentenced in South Dakota to 24 months in prison for failure to report as a sex offender. He was scheduled to be released in September 2010.

Marion is a medium-security federal prison in southern Illinois. It has about 990 inmates. ..Source.. QUAD.com

MI- Lifer suspected in inmate's slaying

UPDATED A few times, see below.

9-9-2009 Michigan:

A murderer already imprisoned for life is being investigated for killing again -- this time, while behind bars.

Anthony Wayne Lee, 34, who was serving a sentence of up to 15 years after being convicted on a 2005 charge of first-degree criminal sexual conduct with a person under age 13 in Wayne County, was found unresponsive in his cell around 3 a.m. Sunday, said Michigan Department of Corrections spokesman Russ Marlan.

"The staff responded with CPR immediately,” Marlan said. Lee was taken by ambulance to Mt. Clemens Regional Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

The Michigan State Police Richmond Post in investigating the death, but referred comments to the corrections department.

Marlan said authorities believe a 42-year-old prisoner serving life in prison for first-degree murder in Kent County, as well as three armed robberies and an assault charge in Wayne County, went into Lee’s cell and killed him. The prison has turned over video surveillance to police.

Marlan declined to release details about the manner of death except to say “we believe it was a homicide.”

The state’s last prison murder was in 2008, when a prisoner stabbed another to death in the G. Robert Cotton Correctional Facility in Jackson.

Marlan said such slayings are unusual behind bars. The state has about 4,000 prisoners serving life sentences; about 40% of those aren't eligible for parole.

Those inmates tend to be the best behaved, Marlan said, because they don't want to lose the few privileges they have.

"My experience with prisons across the state has been that the non-paroleable inmates help control the prisoner population," Marlan said. "That's their home, they're there for life, and they don't like unrest and turmoil."

The suspect had been in Lee's cell prior to the death. Investigators with the Michigan State Police are reviewing surveillance video from inside the prison to determine what happened.

The 100-acre Macomb Correctional Facility, which opened in 1993 near I-94 and 26 Mile Road, houses about 1,287 inmates, Marlan said. ..Source.. by MATT HELMS AND AMBER HUNT, FREE PRESS STAFF WRITERS

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Prison inmate killed at Macomb Correctional Facility

New Haven -- The Michigan State Police are investigating what is believed to be the first homicide at the Macomb Correctional Facility.

Staff at the prison found 34-year-old Anthony Wayne Lee dead Sunday afternoon after another man had been in his cell, said Michigan Department of Corrections spokesman Russ Marlan said.

"Staff found him (Lee) in the cell unresponsive," Marlan said. Emergency medical personnel were called, but they were unable to revive Lee.

Surveillance video has been turned over to investigators, Marlan said.

A suspect -- incarcerated on a murder charge from Kent County and armed robbery, weapons and assault to commit armed robbery from Wayne County -- has been moved to another corrections facility and the man's security level has increased. The suspect already was incarcerated for life, Marlan said

Lee was serving 27 months to 15 years for a 2005 criminal sexual conduct offense involving a victim younger than 13 years old, according to online corrections department records.

Lee and the suspect were not cellmates, Marlan said. Inmates are not grouped by offense, so it would not be unusual for the suspect and victim to have contact with each other, Marlan said.

Although officials believe Lee was killed, how he died has not been determined. The Macomb County Medical Examiner's Office today said toxicology results are pending and it will be several weeks before an autopsy is completed.

"We are still investigating the manner of death," Marlan said. "We believe it was a homicide."

Marlan said the state's corrections system averages one murder per year, but Lee's slaying is believed to be the first at the Macomb Correctional Facility.

State officials said the last homicide in a state prison was in 2008 at the G. Robert Cotton Correctional Facility in Jackson. Officials with the Michigan State Police Richmond Post confirmed they were investigating, but referred comment to the corrections department.

The prison opened in 1993 and encompasses 10 acres in New Haven. ..Source.. by Santiago Esparza and Christine Ferretti / The Detroit News

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Inmate was bound, drowned in toilet

9-10-2009 Michigan:

New Haven -- State police say a prison inmate confessed to investigators that he used bedding to bind a fellow inmate Sunday shortly before the man was found dead in his cell at the Macomb Correctional Facility.

Investigators this morning said they are still trying to piece together what unfolded next, but it appears to have ended with 32-year-old Anthony Wayne Lee drowning in the cell's toilet. The nature of the relationship between the two men is still being investigated.

"(Lee) was found in the toilet, bound, and there's no indication as a result of this investigation that he was forcefully bound," said Michigan State Police Richmond Post Detective Sgt. Patrick Young. "It sounds as though it wasn't long into the interview when (the suspect) began to confess to being involved in the murder."

Young said the 42-year-old suspect -- incarcerated on a murder charge from Kent County and armed robbery, weapons and assault to commit armed robbery from Wayne County -- confessed to the alleged homicide Sunday evening. He's since been moved to another corrections facility and his security level has increased.

Before the body was discovered Sunday afternoon, the suspect was observed on surveillance video entering and leaving Lee's cell.

Lee was serving 27 months to 15 years for a 2005 criminal sexual conduct offense involving a victim younger than 13 years old, according to state records.

At this point, Young said the suspect has given an alleged motive, but his claims are still being sorted out. The case is being investigated as a homicide, Young said.

Young said the position of Lee's body when it was recovered is unclear, but the bedding used for binding his body was recovered from inside the cell.

The relationship between the pair is still being investigated, but Young said the two have had contact in the past. There was no indication of any trauma to Lee's body and his death did not appear to be motivated by an argument or vendetta, he said. Young said the death was not a suicide.

The Macomb County Medical Examiner's Office said it will be several weeks before the autopsy is completed. State police said they are reviewing the tape and other evidence supplied by state corrections officials. The findings are expected to be turned over to the Macomb County Prosecutor's office sometime next week.

Corrections officials said Lee and the suspect were medium to maximum-level security inmates but they did not share a cell.

Based on the prison layout, it would not be unusual for the pair to have contact. Up to 400 inmates at a time have open access to move to and from the housing unit to recreation buildings, food service and the yards, officials said.

"Macomb is a fairly open movement facility," State Department of Corrections spokesman John Cordell said. "Prisoners have the opportunity to harm one another at any given time, but the vast majority would like to live there violence-free and staff helps to ensure that happens."

Corrections officials said the suspect was cited for fighting in June. Before that, he hadn't been punished for misconduct since 2003.

The state's corrections system averages one murder per year.

The death is believed to be the first homicide at the New Haven prison since it opened in 1993.

In March, an inmate at the same facility was stabbed during an altercation in a facility yard. The victim didn't report the attack, but prison officials said guards later found him stuffing toilet paper in a wound. The suspect was moved to "higher security" within the prison.

State officials said the last homicide in a state prison was in 2008 at the G. Robert Cotton Correctional Facility in Jackson. ..Source.. by Christine Ferretti / The Detroit News

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MI- Inmate was bound, drowned in toilet

9-10-2009 Michigan:

New Haven -- State police say a prison inmate confessed to investigators that he used bedding to bind a fellow inmate Sunday shortly before the man was found dead in his cell at the Macomb Correctional Facility.

Investigators this morning said they are still trying to piece together what unfolded next, but it appears to have ended with 32-year-old Anthony Wayne Lee drowning in the cell's toilet. The nature of the relationship between the two men is still being investigated.

"(Lee) was found in the toilet, bound, and there's no indication as a result of this investigation that he was forcefully bound," said Michigan State Police Richmond Post Detective Sgt. Patrick Young. "It sounds as though it wasn't long into the interview when (the suspect) began to confess to being involved in the murder."

Young said the 42-year-old suspect -- incarcerated on a murder charge from Kent County and armed robbery, weapons and assault to commit armed robbery from Wayne County -- confessed to the alleged homicide Sunday evening. He's since been moved to another corrections facility and his security level has increased.

Before the body was discovered Sunday afternoon, the suspect was observed on surveillance video entering and leaving Lee's cell.

Lee was serving 27 months to 15 years for a 2005 criminal sexual conduct offense involving a victim younger than 13 years old, according to state records.

At this point, Young said the suspect has given an alleged motive, but his claims are still being sorted out. The case is being investigated as a homicide, Young said.

Young said the position of Lee's body when it was recovered is unclear, but the bedding used for binding his body was recovered from inside the cell.

The relationship between the pair is still being investigated, but Young said the two have had contact in the past. There was no indication of any trauma to Lee's body and his death did not appear to be motivated by an argument or vendetta, he said. Young said the death was not a suicide.

The Macomb County Medical Examiner's Office said it will be several weeks before the autopsy is completed. State police said they are reviewing the tape and other evidence supplied by state corrections officials. The findings are expected to be turned over to the Macomb County Prosecutor's office sometime next week.

Corrections officials said Lee and the suspect were medium to maximum-level security inmates but they did not share a cell.

Based on the prison layout, it would not be unusual for the pair to have contact. Up to 400 inmates at a time have open access to move to and from the housing unit to recreation buildings, food service and the yards, officials said.

"Macomb is a fairly open movement facility," State Department of Corrections spokesman John Cordell said. "Prisoners have the opportunity to harm one another at any given time, but the vast majority would like to live there violence-free and staff helps to ensure that happens."

Corrections officials said the suspect was cited for fighting in June. Before that, he hadn't been punished for misconduct since 2003.

The state's corrections system averages one murder per year.

The death is believed to be the first homicide at the New Haven prison since it opened in 1993.

In March, an inmate at the same facility was stabbed during an altercation in a facility yard. The victim didn't report the attack, but prison officials said guards later found him stuffing toilet paper in a wound. The suspect was moved to "higher security" within the prison.

State officials said the last homicide in a state prison was in 2008 at the G. Robert Cotton Correctional Facility in Jackson. ..Source.. by Christine Ferretti / The Detroit News

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MI- Lifer suspected in inmate's slaying

9-9-2009 Michigan:

A murderer already imprisoned for life is being investigated for killing again -- this time, while behind bars.

Anthony Wayne Lee, 34, who was serving a sentence of up to 15 years after being convicted on a 2005 charge of first-degree criminal sexual conduct with a person under age 13 in Wayne County, was found unresponsive in his cell around 3 a.m. Sunday, said Michigan Department of Corrections spokesman Russ Marlan.

"The staff responded with CPR immediately,” Marlan said. Lee was taken by ambulance to Mt. Clemens Regional Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

The Michigan State Police Richmond Post in investigating the death, but referred comments to the corrections department.

Marlan said authorities believe a 42-year-old prisoner serving life in prison for first-degree murder in Kent County, as well as three armed robberies and an assault charge in Wayne County, went into Lee’s cell and killed him. The prison has turned over video surveillance to police.

Marlan declined to release details about the manner of death except to say “we believe it was a homicide.”

The state’s last prison murder was in 2008, when a prisoner stabbed another to death in the G. Robert Cotton Correctional Facility in Jackson.

Marlan said such slayings are unusual behind bars. The state has about 4,000 prisoners serving life sentences; about 40% of those aren't eligible for parole.

Those inmates tend to be the best behaved, Marlan said, because they don't want to lose the few privileges they have.

"My experience with prisons across the state has been that the non-paroleable inmates help control the prisoner population," Marlan said. "That's their home, they're there for life, and they don't like unrest and turmoil."

The suspect had been in Lee's cell prior to the death. Investigators with the Michigan State Police are reviewing surveillance video from inside the prison to determine what happened.

The 100-acre Macomb Correctional Facility, which opened in 1993 near I-94 and 26 Mile Road, houses about 1,287 inmates, Marlan said. ..Source.. by MATT HELMS AND AMBER HUNT, FREE PRESS STAFF WRITERS

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Prison inmate killed at Macomb Correctional Facility

New Haven -- The Michigan State Police are investigating what is believed to be the first homicide at the Macomb Correctional Facility.

Staff at the prison found 34-year-old Anthony Wayne Lee dead Sunday afternoon after another man had been in his cell, said Michigan Department of Corrections spokesman Russ Marlan said.

"Staff found him (Lee) in the cell unresponsive," Marlan said. Emergency medical personnel were called, but they were unable to revive Lee.

Surveillance video has been turned over to investigators, Marlan said.

A suspect -- incarcerated on a murder charge from Kent County and armed robbery, weapons and assault to commit armed robbery from Wayne County -- has been moved to another corrections facility and the man's security level has increased. The suspect already was incarcerated for life, Marlan said

Lee was serving 27 months to 15 years for a 2005 criminal sexual conduct offense involving a victim younger than 13 years old, according to online corrections department records.

Lee and the suspect were not cellmates, Marlan said. Inmates are not grouped by offense, so it would not be unusual for the suspect and victim to have contact with each other, Marlan said.

Although officials believe Lee was killed, how he died has not been determined. The Macomb County Medical Examiner's Office today said toxicology results are pending and it will be several weeks before an autopsy is completed.

"We are still investigating the manner of death," Marlan said. "We believe it was a homicide."

Marlan said the state's corrections system averages one murder per year, but Lee's slaying is believed to be the first at the Macomb Correctional Facility.

State officials said the last homicide in a state prison was in 2008 at the G. Robert Cotton Correctional Facility in Jackson. Officials with the Michigan State Police Richmond Post confirmed they were investigating, but referred comment to the corrections department.

The prison opened in 1993 and encompasses 10 acres in New Haven. ..Source.. by Santiago Esparza and Christine Ferretti / The Detroit News

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Convicted murder accused of killing convicted sex offender

9-15-2009 Michigan:

MACOMB COUNTY, Mich. (NEWSCHANNEL 3) – A convicted murderer is now sitting in Ionia's maximum correctional facility, accused of killing an inmate in Macomb County.

Investigators believe Andrew Neal is responsible for the death of 34-year-old Anthony Wayne Lee.

Lee, a convicted sex offender, was found dead on September 6th in his cell at the Macomb correctional facility. Lee had been convicted of sexually assaulting a child under 13 years old.

Neal has been moved to Ionia's facility, and had his security level increased while the investigation continues.

Neal is already serving a life sentence for the murder of Mashonda Griffin. Neal admitted to killing Griffin after breaking into her Wyoming home. ..Source.. by WWMT.com

CA- Man found guilty of murdering cellmate

5-15-2009 California:

STOCKTON - Jurors found a 41-year-old man guilty Thursday of first-degree murder for killing his cellmate in 2007 at Tracy's Deuel Vocational Institution because he wouldn't stop talking.

According to trial testimony, Richard Henry Kase repeatedly told Randy James Rabelos, 28, to be quiet one night before he punched his cellmate in the throat, shoved a towel down his throat, pinched his nose closed and said, "Goodbye, Randy."

He waited until the next morning to tell jailers his cellmate was dead.

"It was a calculated, methodical killing," said San Joaquin County Deputy District Attorney Valli Israels, who prosecuted Kase in the trial lasting about three weeks. Jurors deliberated for one day before returning the verdict.

Kase, who has a long rap sheet, was at Deuel after pleading guilty in Santa Clara County to being a felon in possession of an illegal weapon - a sword concealed in a walking cane. He was sentenced to 11 years.

An appeals court overturned the conviction on a technicality, but not before Kase suffocated his cellmate, a convicted sex offender.

Kase is expected to appear again on Monday before San Joaquin County Superior Court Judge Michael Garrigan for a further hearing and to set a sentencing date. Kase is expected to receive a prison sentence of at least 25 years to life. ..News Source.. by Scott Smith, Record Staff Writer

MD- Inmate fatally stabbed at city detention center

4-2-2009 Maryland:

A 26-year-old man awaiting trial on a rape charge was fatally stabbed Thursday morning inside the Baltimore City Detention Center, according to a statement from state prison officials.

The victim was identified as Nathaniel George, who had been held without bail since August pending trial. The statement from the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services says authorities have identified a suspect but charges have not yet been filed.

Officials said the stabbing occurred about 10:45 a.m. in the recreation yard at the East Eager Street complex. The institution is not on lockdown and officials are not yet commenting on what kind of weapon was used or the motive. Details of the charges against George were not immediately available.

Corrections officials said that violence has dropped at the jail,that "no serious weapon assaults by detainees on staff" have been reported over the past three years and that other assaults on staff have dropped 71 percent over the past two years. Physical assaults by detainees on other detainees have dropped 18 percent over the same period,and assault with weapons has dropped 52 percent. ..News Source.. by Baltimore Sun reporter

WA- No one would say how inmate was killed

2-28-2009 Washington:

MONROE -- Their code of silence was as strong as the walls that kept them from freedom.

Inmates at the Washington State Reformatory saw what happened to Brian Anderson in the prison yard. They refused to talk about the 1999 brutal attack, at least not enough to help Monroe police and prison officials catch the killer.

Anderson, 31, is on the eight of diamonds in the state's first deck of cold-case playing cards. Snohomish County sheriff's detectives have handed out the cards to jail and prison inmates in hopes of turning up new leads in unsolved homicides and missing person cases.

Anderson is one of two prison inmates in the deck.

Violence landed Anderson behind bars in Monroe. He was serving a 41-year sentence for a vicious attack in 1996 in the Spokane Valley. He kidnapped a woman, raped her and tied her to a tree with wire.

Three years later someone pummeled Anderson in the prison's big yard. The blow was fatal. Anderson collapsed in front of a guard and died a short time later.

His family deserves answers, Monroe police spokeswoman Debbie Willis said.

"Somebody did something to him that shouldn't have been done," she said. "I don't know where that person is living. They could be living in our community. We can't tolerate that type of violence."

At the time, investigators believed Anderson was killed over drugs. He was dealing dope to other inmates. Authorities found marijuana hidden in the soles of his tennis shoes. Police believe another prisoner demanded drugs from Anderson. When Anderson refused, he was attacked.

At least two witnesses spoke to authorities. They were afraid to snitch. Both refused to sign a statement or testify in court. The investigation grew cold.

Now, police hope someone will have a change of heart, break their silence, and help bring a killer to justice. ..News Source.. by Diana Hefley

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Monroe inmate killing still unsolved

April 3, 2000 Washington:

MONROE - A man who killed in broad daylight may go unpunished, even though authorities think they know who he is, thanks to the unspoken code of prisoners.

Brian Anderson, who was serving a 41-year sentence for rape, collapsed at the Washington State Reformatory last August and died within hours - the apparent victim of a drug robbery gone bad.

"I'm confident that I know who did it," said Vicqui Heuett, the state Department of Corrections' lead investigator on the case. She declined to elaborate.

Police and prison officials believe they have run up against an unwritten code of prison life: Don't openly snitch on another inmate.

That code has kept two inmates who claim to have witnessed the crime from signing a statement or testifying in court.

"They have to live here," Heuett said.

Eight months later, no arrests have been made.

Investigators say they have little hard evidence of who assaulted Anderson, 31, who was known to deal drugs in prison, but Heuett said the two inmate witnesses gave the following account:

About 1:30 p.m. Aug. 11, a prisoner demanded drugs from Anderson while they stood in the yard in the center of the reformatory. When Anderson refused, the inmate punched him, then ordered him to get the drugs.

Anderson instead went into the gymnasium and collapsed. He died in the hospital an hour later.

Investigators at first suspected Anderson had died of a drug overdose or that someone had slipped him a lethal dose of illegal drugs. There was no sign of trauma, he had marijuana on his person, and he'd made a comment about laced drugs shortly before he died, Monroe police Sgt. Brian Johnston said.

But informers soon suggested his death was the result of an assault. Subsequently, the Snohomish County medical examiner found Anderson died of a blow that lacerated his liver.

Heuett said investigators learned of the homicide too late to collect evidence in the yard, and video cameras didn't capture it. She thinks at least four men besides the assailant witnessed the attack - a circumstance that would have it an open-and-shut case had it occurred outside the prison.

But the investigation has ground to a halt. Monroe police, who are leading the investigation, consider the case "open but inactive." Prison officials say their investigation also remains open, but they may have to wait years before a witness decides to speak.

"It's not unheard of for somebody to finish their time and come back to say, `I want to tell you what happened out there,' " Johnston said. ..Source.. by AP

SC- Inmate stabbed to death at Lee Correctional

1-4-2009 South Carolina:

An inmate was stabbed to death Sunday morning at Lee Correctional Institution in Bishopville, the S.C. Department of Corrections said.

About 11:15 a.m., Lenmont Jones, 29, was stabbed by another inmate inside a dormitory at the maximum-security institution. He transported to a hospital, then pronounced dead about 12:15 p.m., said Josh Gelinas, spokesman for the Department of Corrections.

Inmates are being kept in their cells as the investigation continues. The State Law Enforcement Division also is investigating.

SLED spokeswoman Jennifer Timmons said investigators are not sure who stabbed Jones.

Jones, 29, started serving a 20-year sentence for criminal sexual conduct with a minor Feb. 14. He was convicted in Richland County.

This is the second violent incident in the state prison in the past week. ..News Source.. by JASON WERMERS, Item Staff Writer

VA- UPDATED: Inmate killed in Pittsylvania County identified

12-18-2008 Virginia:

Virginia State Police are investigating a shooting in Chatham Tuesday night involving a sheriff's deputy and inmate.

The inmate, Cody Nifong, was killed. The officer was shot at least once in the wrist. Authorities say the Pittsylvania County deputy had taken the 24-year-old inmate to Richmond earlier in the day for a medical appointment.

They were driving back to Chatham when the shooting happened, less than a mile from the jail on Main Street. Authorities won't go into specifics but say there was a struggle involved.

The deputy has been with the department for more than 20 years, and is currently on medical leave. The sheriff says he has not been involved in a shooting before.

We're told the inmate had been staying in the Pittsylvania County jail since July for violating probation. According to court records, he was supposed to be sentenced in January for taking indecent liberties with a child.

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UPDATED: Wednesday, December 17, 2008 @ 11:47 a.m.


Virginia State Police are investigating a fatal shooting that occurred Tuesday night in the community of Chatham.

According to a news release, a deputy with the Pittsylvania County Sheriff's office was transporting an inmate back to the county jail after a medical appointment. We're told a struggle then ensued.

The inmate has been identified as Cody Christopher Nifong. He was shot and killed. Virginia State Police are still investigating this incident.

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One person is dead and a Pittsylvania County Sheriff's deputy is in the hospital following a shooting in Chatham.

It happened around 7:15 Tuesday night in the 100 block of Main street.

Investigators believe a fight took place between a deputy and an inmate he was transporting. During the fight, the deputy's gun went off, injuring him in the wrist.

The inmate was then shot and killed. No one else was involved in the shooting.

The injured deputy is being treated for minor injuries at Danville Regional Medical Center.

State Police and the Pittsylvania County Sheriff's Office are investigating the incident. ..News Source.. by WDBJ TV

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Deputy Who Shot And Killed Inmate Cleared

3-3-2009 Virginia:

Salem, VA-- Tuesday, Neil Vener, the Commonwealth Attorney for Virginia send a letter to the Pittsylvania County sheriff's office clearing a deputy who shot and killed an inmate in December 2008.

Deputy Roger Walden was transporting Cody Christopher Nifong from a psychological evaluation visit back to the county jail when the incident happened.

In the newly released details, investigators say Nifong who was sitting in the back of Walden's patrol tried to strangle the deputy while the car was still in motion. They say he did it by freeing one of his hands from handcuffs.

Deputy Walden who was using one hand to stop the cord, was able to use the other hand to get his gun and fire a shot to stop Nifong from strangling him. Walden shot himself in the wrist during the struggle.

Vener ruled that Walden's actions were justified.

Nifong was in jail awaiting sentencing for sexual assault on a 13 year old girl. ..Source.. by Devetta Blount

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VA- Deputy Who Shot And Killed Inmate Cleared

3-2-2009 Virginia:

Salem, VA-- Tuesday, Neil Vener, the Commonwealth Attorney for Virginia send a letter to the Pittsylvania County sheriff's office clearing a deputy who shot and killed an inmate in December 2008.

Deputy Roger Walden was transporting Cody Christopher Nifong from a psychological evaluation visit back to the county jail when the incident happened.

In the newly released details, investigators say Nifong who was sitting in the back of Walden's patrol tried to strangle the deputy while the car was still in motion. They say he did it by freeing one of his hands from handcuffs.

Deputy Walden who was using one hand to stop the cord, was able to use the other hand to get his gun and fire a shot to stop Nifong from strangling him. Walden shot himself in the wrist during the struggle.

Vener ruled that Walden's actions were justified.

Nifong was in jail awaiting sentencing for sexual assault on a 13 year old girl. ..News Source.. by Devetta Blount

IN- Inmate faces death penalty in cellmate's death

8-27-2008 Indiana:

CARLISLE, Ind. (AP) — A prosecutor says he intends to seek the death penalty for a man serving a life sentence who is accused of killing his cellmate.

Thirty-year-old Zachariah Melcher of Jeffersonville is charged in the strangulation death of 28-year-old Nicholas Roman at the Wabash Valley Correctional Facility in Carlisle in March.

Melcher is serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole for the 2006 murders of his infant son, wife and unborn child.


At a court hearing in June, Melcher told the judge he wanted to represent himself, but the judge appointed two attorneys to represent him. Sullivan County Prosecutor Robert Springer said this week he still pushing for a death sentence.

Melcher's trial is scheduled to begin in February. ..News Source.. by AP

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Jeffersonville murderer may have strangled cellmate

3-9-2008 Indiana:

Authorities believe Melcher killed fellow prisoner at Wabash Valley state prison

CARLISLE — A convicted murderer at the Wabash Valley Correctional Facility is under investigation for allegedly strangling his cellmate Friday night.

Nicholas Roman, 28, was pronounced dead at 11:12 p.m., according to a Correctional Facility news release. Authorities allege Zachariah Melcher strangled Roman shortly before 10:30 p.m. Investigators are still determining what caused the incident, said Rich Larsen, the facility’s public information officer.

Larsen said Melcher was cooperating with investigators.

Facility staff provided immediate emergency medical care to Roman before he was transported to Sullivan County Community Hospital.

Melcher, 30, was already serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole for killing his infant daughter, wife and unborn child in Clark County, a news release stated.

The homicide case will be turned over to the Sullivan County Prosecutor by the Indiana State Police early next week.

An autopsy is scheduled to determine Roman’s exact cause of death.

Since his incarceration, Roman had multiple major conduct offenses. He was serving time on Vanderburgh County convictions for performing sexual conduct in the presence of a minor, distribution of matter harmful to a minor and theft/receiving stolen property. ..News Source.. by CNHI News Service

CA- Wasco inmate was strangled to death, coroner says

7-24-2008 California:

The 33-year-old inmate who was found not breathing Wednesday in his cell at Wasco State Prison, and later died at the hospital, was strangled to death, the Kern County Coroner's office reported.

Ruben Landeros, 33, died at 11:22 p.m. Wednesday. It is being ruled a homicide by the coroner's office.

The suspect in the case is Harold P. Cox, 37, who was brought to the prison from Orange County on April 18, Wasco prison staff said. He’s serving a 10-year, four-month sentence with gang and prior prison enhancements for intimidating a witness.

Landeros, a registered sex offender, pleaded no contest to sexual battery in 2001. He was sentenced to five years at Wasco prison.

He also pleaded no contest in 2004 for possession of drugs or alcohol while in jail. More recently, a case was opened in last month with the Kern County District Attorney's office after he allegedly failed to register as a sex offender when moving. An investigation was ongoing. ..News Source.. by The Bakersfield Californian

CA- S.J. men suspects in death of inmate

5-19-2008 California:

Three San Joaquin County men serving sentences in a prison near Monterey are among a group suspected of using a jailhouse shank to kill a convicted child molester Friday, a spokesman for the Salinas Valley State Prison said.

Sumnang Chea, 21, David Inthirath, 27, and Sarim Kheleung, 25, were among those believed to have killed inmate Donald Jones, 30, of Los Angeles, said Lt. Eric Moore of the prison in Monterey County. Jones was sentenced to spend 20 years in prison for sodomy on a child younger than 14 years old.

Jones was attacked at 10:53 a.m. on a general population yard for maximum-security inmates. He was taken by ambulance to an outside medical center and was pronounced dead at 12:17 p.m., Moore said.

Another three inmates from Sacramento, Orange and Los Angeles counties also are suspected in the death. All the attackers are in their 20s, Moore said.

Of those from San Joaquin County, Chea was serving a sentence for second-degree murder and voluntary manslaughter, Inthirath had been sentenced for voluntary manslaughter, and Kheleung was sentenced to prison for second-degree murder, Moore said. ..more.. by The Record

IN- Montgomery Co. inmate dies from apparent strangulation

3-21-2008 Indiana:

CARLISLE, Ind. - A man convicted of sexual misconduct with a minor died after being attacked in his cell at the Wabash Valley Correctional Facility.

Robert Crane, 27, who appeared to have been strangled, died while being treated at a hospital about 1:30 p.m. Friday, two hours after the attack, prison spokesman Rich Larsen said.

Indiana State Police and prison investigators named Crane's cellmate, Michael Gibson, 33, as a suspect in the attack, Larsen said.

Gibson is serving a 119-year sentence for two attempted murders, battery, burglary and possessing a weapon, with an earliest possible release date of 2063, Larsen said. His crimes occurred in Morgan and Madison Counties.

The two prisoners were being held in protective custody, Larsen said.

Following the attack, guards immediately tried to resuscitate Crane, Larsen said. He was rushed to Sullivan County Community Hospital.

Crane, who also had been convicted of attempted escape, was serving a 14-year term.

The Wabash Valley Correctional Facility houses more than 2,100 prisons in maximum and minimum security. It's located about 35 miles south of Terre Haute. ..more.. by AP

Man convicted of Santa Cruz child molest killed in prison

2-14-2008 California:

FOLSOM -- A former Live Oak man serving a 400-year prison sentence at California State Prison-Sacramento was killed by another inmate Thursday morning, authorities reported.

Convicted child molester Shannon Lee Grailing, 53, died after Steven Matthew Schultz, a convicted murderer, slashed him across the neck with an apparent inmate-made weapon, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation reported.

Grailing was serving the longest prison sentenced meted out in Santa Cruz County history. He sodomized a 10-year-old boy in a Santa Cruz motel in 1996 and, the following year, was convicted of five counts of child molestation.

"It's a tragic end to a tragic case," Santa Cruz police spokesman Zach Friend said Thursday.

The fatal attack happened just before 8 a.m. as Grailing pushed a laundry cart through the yard at the facility, which is adjacent to Folsom State Prison. He was taken by ambulance to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 9:10 a.m.

Schultz, 28, from Placer County, has been held in the prison since May 1999 and is serving a sentence of 26 years to life for first-degree murder.

Prison staff and the Sacramento County District Attorney's Office are investigating Grailing's death as a homicide, officials reported. The connection between the two men and the motive for the killing was not immediately clear, and the prison spokeswoman was not available to comment

Grailing had been in the prison since July 1997.

Santa Cruz police arrested him in August 1996 for failing to notify authorities that he had moved to Oregon.

During the arrest, police found evidence at a Santa Cruz motel that Grailing had molested a 10-year-old boy there and new charges were filed.

A jury in 1997 convicted Grailing of sodomizing the child, who is the son of one of Grailing's friends. He told her he was taking the boy to the Boardwalk, but instead brought him to the Hitching Post motel on Soquel Avenue, molested him and took digital photos of the sex acts.

The boy later testified against Grailing and spoke at his sentencing hearing.

"I don't care what you're going to do with the rest of your life in prison, or whatever, but I do know that there's one less monster out there, one less person that will hurt an innocent child," the victim said when Grailing was sentenced.

A "three strikes" offender previously convicted of molesting two Watsonville boys and three boys in Washington state, Grailing was sentenced to 375 years for sodomizing the 10-year-old boy. In November 1997, the judge added another 25 years to the sentence because Grailing had failed to register as a sex offender after moving to Portland.

Grailing appealed the molestation conviction on the grounds the California's registered sex offender law, which requires some convicted sex offenders to report their residences to police, only applies to those who live in the state. The 6th District Court of Appeal ruled against Grailing.

Grailing's death is the second homicide at California State Prison-Sacramento in three weeks, an official said.

The prison houses more than 3,100 maximum-security inmates serving long sentences and those who have proved to be management problems at other institutions. The facility opened in 1986 and employs nearly 1,600 people. ..more.. by Jennifer Squires at 429-2449 or jsquires@santacruzsentinel.com.

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Sex offender slain at New Folsom Prison

An inmate at California State Prison, Sacramento, who was serving a 400-year sentence for molesting a child, was slashed in the throat and killed Thursday, prison officials said.

Shannon Lee Graling, 53, was slashed with an "inmate-made weapon" just before 8 a.m. while pushing a laundry cart, according to a prison news release. He died just over an hour later.

Prison officials said the suspect in the slashing is 28-year-old Steven Matthew Schultz, who is serving a 26-year-to-life sentence for first-degree murder out of Placer County.

Graling was convicted in Santa Cruz County in 1997 of five counts of lewd and lascivious acts on a child under the age of 14 and sentenced to 400 years, prion officials said. Also that year, Graling was sentenced to 25 years to life for failing to register as a sex offender. ..more.. by Ryan Lillis

CA- Cellmate is suspect

The cellmate of a prisoner found dead at DVI is now a homicide suspect.
12-3-2007 California:

Officials at Deuel Vocational Institution are looking into the possibility that a man found dead at the prison Saturday was killed by his cellmate.

Lt. Ray Munoz, spokesman for the prison, said the California Department of Corrections has treated the death of Randy James Rabelos, 28, of Tuolumne County as a homicide. Munoz said the San Joaquin County Coroner reported that Rabelos suffocated after he was hit in the throat.

Investigators have not released the likely cause of the injury, but Munoz said that Rabelos’ cellmate, Rick Henry Kase, 39, of Santa Clara County, has been charged with the homicide under the prison’s administrative regulations. He has yet to be charged with any crime by the San Joaquin County District Attorney’s office.

Munoz said the prison’s nursing staff discovered Rabelos dead at 7:20 a.m. Saturday in the lower bunk of a two-man cell. The nursing staff checked in the cell during its morning rounds of the cell block, when it gives medication to those prisoners who require it.

Both men were in the prison’s special processing unit, a sort of protective custody separate from the general population for new arrivals, some sex offenders, ex-gang members, ex-police officers and some notorious criminals.

Rabelos arrived at the prison on Sept. 7. He had just started serving a three-year term after he was convicted on Sept. 4 in Tuolumne County for one count of lewd acts with a child.

Kase is serving 11 years for felony assault and weapons possession convictions. Munoz said he was in the special processing unit because he has been threatened by gang members.

Eric Hovatter, deputy district attorney from Tuolumne County who prosecuted Rabelos’ case, said Rabelos was convicted of committing a lewd act with a minor after he touched a 10-year-old girl’s breasts. He said the girl was a friend of Rabelos’ girlfriend’s daughter and was at the house for a sleepover when Rabelos reportedly got the girls drunk while the mother was at work.

Hovatter said the case went to trial in June and initially ended up with a 9-3 hung jury, and Rabelos agreed in July to a plea deal on the one count of lewd acts with a child. ..more.. by Bob Brownne call 830-4227 or e-mail brownne@tracypress.com.

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Inmate found dead in Tracy prison cell
Officials investigating incident as possible homicide
12-4-2007 California:

TRACY — An inmate was found dead inside his cell at Deuel Vocational Institution Saturday morning, prison officials said.

Prison staff handing out the morning doses of medication to inmates found Randy James Rabelos, 28, unresponsive in his cell around 7:20 a.m. who appeared to have been dead for a "couple of hours," Lt. Ray Munoz said.

Investigators from the prison, along with the California Highway Patrol and the Department of Justice, are investigating the matter and have questioned Rabelos' cell mate, Rick Henry Kase, 39, from Santa Clara County.

"They were in the cell together for the last 12 hours," Munoz said. "We got started into looking at how Rabelos died and immediately started to look at his cell mate. The case is being investigated as a possible homicide."

According to preliminary findings from the San Joaquin County Coroner's Office, Rabelos appeared to have died from asphyxiation with blunt force trauma. An official cause of death is pending a toxicology report which can take up to six weeks to complete.

Rabelos arrived at DVI in September from Tuolumne County and was serving a three-year sentence as a sex offender, Munoz said.

Kase arrived at the prison a little more than a month ago and is currently serving a term for parole violation, and being a convicted felon in possession of a deadly weapon. ..more.. by Staff Reports

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Strange twist in case of slain San Joaquin County inmate

9-28-2008 California:

STOCKTON - If it weren't for the bald tires on a car he was riding in, Rick Henry Kase would likely be a free man today. Instead, he's in a state prison near Tracy facing a murder charge in the gruesome death of his cellmate.

Kase, 40, awaits trial for allegedly killing Randy James Rabelos, 28, of Turlock. They were housed together at Deuel Vocational Institution one December morning when Kase told jailers that his cellmate was dead, according to San Joaquin County Superior Court documents.

The ironic twist in Kase's story came about seven months after he allegedly killed Rabelos when a state appeals court overturned the conviction on a technicality.

In its decision that would have freed Kase from an 11-year sentence for an illegal weapon possession, the court said the arresting officer didn't have the right to pull over the 1980s Toyota Camry driven by another person simply because it had bald tires.

"Come to find out, he never should have been in prison in the first place," San Joaquin County Deputy Public Defender Keith Arthur said in a court hearing Thursday. Outside of court, Arthur declined to comment further on his client's case.

Kase - who has a long criminal history, including five earlier prison stints - faces a life sentence if he is convicted of Rabelos' death. Kase's attorney Thursday rejected a prosecutor's offer to resolve the case before trial if Kase took a sentence of 45 years to life in prison.

Kase's most recent tangle with the law began early last year when he was arrested in the San Jose traffic stop.

San Jose police Officer Macedonio Zuniga testified that he noticed a car's balding tires and made the stop, thinking he would write a fix-it ticket or give the driver a warning for her bald tires.

Then he learned that the passenger with tattoos on his neck - Kase - was on parole and searched the car. The officer found that Kase, whose foot was in a cast, had a cane that concealed a sword. He arrested Kase for possessing an illegal weapon.

Kase pleaded guilty in Santa Clara County Superior Court and got an 11-year sentence because of his long rap sheet. At Deuel, Kase ended up in a cell with Rabelos, a convicted child molester.

In an interview with an investigator, Kase confessed to killing Rabelos, giving details of how he carried out the crime that he is now fighting. Details of the interrogation are in a transcript of a court hearing held last year.

Kase told the investigator that Rabelos would become intoxicated after taking medicine and start shouting. Kase told him to quiet down, and moments later Rabelos again grew loud, court documents said.

Rabelos then disrespected Kase, calling him a gang dropout, and things turned violent, court papers said.

Kase "described punching Randy (Rabelos) in the throat," the investigator said. "He described knowing it was a lethal blow."

Kase said he knew Rabelos' gasps for breath were his last and quickened his cellmate's death. He pulled Rabelos from the top to the bottom bunk, held up his chin and punched Rabelos in the throat four or five more times, court documents said.

He then shoved a towel down Rabelos' throat, Kase told the investigators.

"He said he pinched Randy's nose and said, 'Goodbye, Randy,' " according to court papers, which describe the death as taking less than two minutes.

The last inmate murder at Deuel occurred in 1986, more than two decades ago, said Lt. Gilbert Valenzuela, a spokesman for the medium-security prison.

San Joaquin County Deputy District Attorney Valli Israels said the circumstances surrounding Kase's overturned weapons conviction have no bearing on her murder prosecution against him.

"We still have the tragic death of Randy Rabelos with which he is charged," she said. "I'm sure the family of Mr. Rabelos doesn't sleep any easier. They still miss their son and brother." ..News Source.. by Scott Smith at (209) 546-8296 or ssmith@recordnet.com.

Easton man murdered in prison

3-11-2006 New Jersey: UPDATED

An Easton man in a New Jersey state prison for sexually assaulting a 2-year-old girl in Phillipsburg in 2002 was strangled late Thursday and found under another inmate's bunk, authorities said Friday. The dead man, Jason Schweitzer, 25, formerly of the 100 block of Northampton Street, Easton, was an inmate at the Albert C. Wagner Youth Correctional Facility in Burlington County, Department of Corrections spokesman Matthew Schulman said.

Schweitzer's death was ruled a homicide by the Burlington County Medical Examiner's Office. An autopsy completed Friday afternoon showed Schweitzer had been strangled with a rope or some other object.

Corrections officers found his body at 9 p.m. Thursday under a bed in a cell that was not his. "The cells weren't locked down at the time so the inmates were able to mill around," Schuman said. "It was during that period that they found him. "The unit was locked down, and it's still locked down as they investigate," Schuman said.

The homicide was the first officials could recall at the youth facility, located in Chesterfield Township near Bordentown, which houses about 1,300 inmates between 18 and 29 years of age.

It "emphasizes vocational, academic and social programming as well as individual and group psychotherapy, substance abuse treatment, social casework and psychiatric treatment," according to the Corrections Department's Web site.

Schweitzer was sentenced in June 2003 to 8½ to 10 years for sexually assaulting a 2-year-old girl in Phillipsburg. ..more.. by by RICK HEPP, The Star-Ledger

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Inmate charged in prison death
11-1-2007 New Jersey

MOUNT HOLLY, N.J. | A state prison inmate is accused of strangling a fellow prisoner serving time for molesting a 2-year-old in Phillipsburg.

The Burlington County Prosecutor's Office on Wednesday charged 25-year-old Jesus J. Tamo with murder and hindering apprehension in connection with the killing of Jason Schweitzer, 25, of Easton.

Schweitzer's body was found beneath the bunk inside Tamo's cell at the Albert C. Wagner Youth Correctional Facility in Chesterfield, N.J. on March 9, 2006. An autopsy found that Schweitzer had been strangled, authorities said.

The killing took place in a cellblock occupied by 47 prisoners at a time when inmates could move around and go into and out of each other's cells, according to authorities.

Authorities allege that Tamo invited Schweitzer into his cell, then assaulted and strangled him. Schweitzer's body was found in Tamo's cell during a search started after Schweitzer failed to report for his scheduled medication call, authorities said.

Authorities have given no motive for the killing.

Schweitzer was serving a minimum term of eight and a half years for the 2002 sexual assault in Warren County. Tamo is serving a minimum term of six and three-quarters years for an aggravated assault conviction out of Middlesex County, according to state Department of Corrections records.

Tamo is being held at New Jersey State Prison in Trenton.

If convicted of the killing, Tamo faces an additional 30 years to life in prison, authorities said. ..more.. by MICHAEL RATCLIFFE, The Times of Trenton

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Prisoner admits to slaying of fellow inmate in Burlco

6-25-2011 New Jersey:

MOUNT HOLLY — A state prisoner admitted Friday that he strangled a fellow inmate at a corrections facility in Bordentown Township.

Jesus Tamo, 28, plead guilty to aggravated manslaughter at a Superior Court hearing in Mount Holly.

Authorities said Tamo killed Jason Schweitzer, a 25-year-old sex offender, after inviting the victim into his cell at the Wagner Youth Correctional Facility in March 2006.

The inmate's body was found under Tamo's bunk after Schweitzer failed to appear for a scheduled medication call.

Schweitzer was serving a 10-year sentence after a 2003 conviction for the aggravated sexual assault of a child under 13 years old, according to the state Department of Corrections.

Tamo received an eight-year sentence after a 2004 conviction for aggravated assault in Monmouth County.

The slaying occurred at a medium-security facility for men between the ages of 18 and 29.

Tamo initially was charged with Schweitzer's murder. Under terms of a plea agreement, he faces a recommended sentence of 20 years in state prison.

He would have to serve 17 years before becoming eligible for parole, according to the Burlington County Prosecutor's Office.

Tamo is to be sentenced Sept. 23 by Superior Court Judge Michael Haas. ..Source.. by JIM WALSH