Crime & Safety
MN Prison Inmate's Death Is Possible Homicide: DOC
A convicted murderer died in a Minnesota prison early Monday. His cellmate was taken into custody.
CHISAGO COUNTY, MN — The death of a 56-year-old inmate at the state prison in Rush City was a possible homicide, according to the Minnesota Department of Corrections.
James F. Howard died after corrections officers found him with head and face injuries during regular rounds around 11:30 p.m. Sunday. Prison staff and paramedics were unable to revive him, and Howard was pronounced dead at 12:20 a.m. Monday.
Howard’s cellmate was taken into custody.
Find out what's happening in Across Minnesotafor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Howard was serving a sentence for a homicide; his sentence began September 2012 and had a release date of May 2034. His 29-year-old cellmate was serving two sentences for an assault; his sentence began May 2020 and had a release date of May 2021.
The two men were cellmates in a temporary housing unit and were not actively engaged in employment or programming at the prison, authorities said in a news release.
Find out what's happening in Across Minnesotafor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.