Violent crimes can happen anywhere -- even in prisons. One Maryland inmate is facing charges now that stem from allegations that he murdered his cellmate in January. The 37-year-old inmate is accused of killing a 58-year-old man.
The incident occurred on the night of Jan. 17 or the morning of the 18th. The man was last seen unharmed the evening before he was found with multiple blunt force injuries in his cell. The cells were locked and the only person with access to the man was the cellmate who is now facing second-degree murder charges.
The officers who responded to the cell on the morning the man was found noted that the man's cellmate was the one who alerted officers that there was an issue. When they found the man, it was obvious that he suffered facial injuries. He was transported to the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center where he succumbed to his injuries on Jan. 21.
An investigation, which involved several agencies including the Maryland State Police Homicide Unit, was done and murder charges were filed at the conclusion of the investigation. The cause of death according to the autopsy was homicide that resulted from blunt force injuries.
In addition to the murder charge, the inmate is also facing first-degree assault, second-degree assault and manslaughter charges. Even though he is an inmate, he still has the same rights to fight these charges as anyone else who is involved in the criminal justice system. Anyone who is facing murder charges must get started on a defense as quickly as possible because the penalties of a conviction are very serious.
Source: Eye on Annapolis, "Police charge inmate in January murder of another inmate," Aug. 18, 2016