Two Inmates Die In Mississippi Prison
Officials said “blunt force beating” was the cause of death for two inmates who died in a Mississippi prison on Monday (Jan. 20).
NBC News reports the recent deaths, which occurred at Mississippi State Penitentiary in Parchman, bring the death toll across the state’s prison system to at least seven since the beginning of the year.
NBC News reports, Sunflower County Coroner Heather Burton said in a statement the two deaths come after another inmate at the same facility apparently died by suicide in his cell Sunday (Jan. 19).
“Two inmates were killed in Parchman last night,” the Corrections Department tweeted on Jan. 21. “At this moment, it appears to be an isolated incident -- not a continuation of the recent retaliatory killings. The Parchman chaplain has reached out to the next of kin.”
One of the victims was identified as Timothy Hudspeth, who, according to NBC News, was serving 10 years for possession of a firearm by a felon.
The other inmate was not being named until relatives could be notified, the news outlet reports.
Newly elected Republican Governor Tate Reeves pledged that his administration would provide transparency amid the fraught situation, NBC News reports.
He tweeted in response to the Corrections Department’s post, “There is much more to be done here.”
"The safety of staff and prisoners at Parchman is our immediate priority, and we are working hard to restore and maintain order," interim Commissioner Tommy Taylor said in a statement, NBC News reports, adding: "The environment that makes such violence possible must be addressed quickly, and we are committed to making changes to do so."
Earlier this month, Jay-Z’s lawyer Alex Spiro filed a lawsuit on behalf of the rap mogul Yo Gotti and Team Roc against the head of the Mississippi Department of Corrections and the warden of the state penitentiary.
The lawsuit is for 29 prisoners who say the two officials have done nothing to stop the violence.
According to the lawsuit, Spiro said, “These deaths are a direct result of Mississippi’s utter disregard for the people it has incarcerated and their constitutional rights.”
