Update in the comments
Ronnie Lionel White
As reported here Ronnie Lionel White, 19, death has been determined to be a homicide. White was incarcerated at the time of his death. His autopsy showed he had two broken bones in the front of his neck, which is consistent with asphyxiation.
White was found dead in his cell 36 hours after he was charged with killing Cpl. Richard Findley Friday afternoon.
Prince George County announced Monday night that Maryland State Police and the FBI will be investigating the death. It was reported that the death was "unrelated to any act by the Prince George's County Police Department."
White was admitted to jail early Saturday morning, and he was given a medical assessment and placed in a maximum security cell. Since he was classified as a high profile offender, police say they routinely checked on him every half hour.
On Sunday, police say they checked on White 15 minutes before he was found unconscious. "Correctional officers found him sitting on his bed alert. When officers returned 15 minutes later to serve him his lunch, he was unresponsive." "The on-site medical staff were immediately called and found no visible signs of trauma." Corrections officials say the jail has cameras, but no video of who might have come into White's cell.
Sources say the case will likely go to a grand jury.
White was one of four people police detained in the death of Findley. He was charged with first-degree murder. Police say the other three individuals are still under investigation.
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The head of public safety for Prince George's County this morning ordered county correctional officers to cooperate with a Maryland State Police investigation underway into the death of jail inmate who had been accused of killing a county police officer.
Vernon Herron, Deputy Chief Administrative Officer for Public Safety, visited the officers during their morning roll call to tell them they are required to participate with the review, according to a jail employee.
The Maryland State Police and federal agents were investigating the death of Ronnie L. White, who was killed less than 36 hours after he was booked into the county correctional center on first-degree murder charges in the hit-and-run death Friday of county police Cpl. Richard S. Findley.
Several Prince George's County correctional officers who had access to the 19-year-old inmate, found strangled in solitary confinement Sunday, initially declined to speak to investigators of the slaying, a source familiar with the interrogations has said.
According to the jail employee interviewed today, another officer gave state police a statement this morning. The source asked to remain anonymous because the investigation is ongoing.
The source said that numerous officers and inmates would have had a clear line of sight into the cell White was being held. The unit is about 25 feet from an enclosed pod staffed by an officer, who can view into two maximum security sections that are side by side, including directly into White's cell, which is used for high profile inmates, the source said.
In addition, there is desk in a common area about 25 feet from the cell; that desk is usually staffed by another officer who also would have had a clear view of the cell. Also, White's unit was directly across from another maximum security unit, which holds inmates accused of violent crimes. Some of those inmates would have had a clear view to White's cell on Sunday morning, the source said.
As far as the employee knows, none has so far reported seeing anything unusual that morning.
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