State police are investigating three separate inmate deaths at correctional facilities in northern New York over a four-day span, including two cases that have been ruled homicides.
The incidents occurred at Upstate Correctional Facility in Malone, Gouverneur Correctional Facility, and Riverview Correctional Facility, raising serious questions about inmate safety and violence inside state prisons.
At Upstate Correctional Facility, authorities said Michael J. Campbell, 51, was found unresponsive in his cell around 4:30 p.m. on April 6. Investigators determined he had been strangled with a shoelace by his cellmate, Andrew Hernandez, 42. An autopsy confirmed the cause of death as asphyxia due to ligature strangulation, and the manner of death was ruled a homicide.
Just days later, on April 10, state police were notified of another suspected homicide at Gouverneur Correctional Facility. Correction officers discovered 45-year-old Shaun Bennett on the floor of his cell during routine rounds. Despite lifesaving efforts, Bennett was pronounced dead. Investigators determined a physical altercation had occurred between Bennett and his cellmate, Savon O’Neal, 32, who was later treated for non-life-threatening injuries. An autopsy found Bennett died from cardiorespiratory arrest due to a closed head injury, and his death was also ruled a homicide.
A third incident at Riverview Correctional Facility began as an assault investigation on April 7. Police said Ollie Jackson, 29, struck fellow inmate Lawrence Brown, 34, during an altercation in a dorm area, causing Brown to fall and suffer a severe head injury. Brown was transported to a hospital and later transferred to SUNY Upstate Medical Center, where he was placed on a ventilator. He died on April 10. An autopsy is pending to determine the official cause and manner of death.
All three cases remain under investigation, with the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, the St. Lawrence County District Attorney’s Office, and the New York State Attorney General’s Office assisting.
Authorities said charges are pending in each case.
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