15th inmate dies in Mississippi prison system in August

Another prisoner has died in Mississippi, pushing the state’s in-custody death count for August to 15.

Earl King Davis, 55, was pronounced dead at 12:52 p.m. on Aug. 30, 2018, at Promise Hospital in Vicksburg, according to a statementuploaded to the Mississippi Department of Corrections’ website.

Greene County coroner Ladd Pulliam confirmed Davis’s death to Mississippi Today.

Davis had been transferred to Promise Hospital of Vicksburg, where he spent more than a week, Pulliam said. He died of natural causes, according to the coroner.

Davis was halfway through a 20-year sentence for manslaughter and aggravated assault. The manner and the cause of death are pending an autopsy, per the Department of Corrections.

In a press statement released Friday afternoon, corrections commissioner Pelicia Hall said she was requesting the assistance of the Federal Bureau of Investigations and the Mississippi Department of Public Safety in investigating the deaths this month.

“While we believe that most of the reported deaths during the month of August are from illnesses or natural causes, such as cancer and heart disease, based on available information, we are seeking assistance from others outside the department in the interest of transparency,” Hall said in the statement. “My administration is committed to ensuring that all individuals in the department’s care receive appropriate medical care.”

Other inmate deaths in August

• Curtis Hughes, 45, died Aug. 28, 2018, at Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman. Convicted in 2017 of possession of meth and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
• Tony Springer Sr., 75, died Aug. 27, 2018 at Singing River Hospital in Pascagoula from South Mississippi Correctional Institution in Leaksville. Convicted 2017 of unlawful touching of a child in Lowndes County.
• Troy Pittman, 59, died Aug. 27, 2018, at Promise Hospital in Vicksburg from Central Mississippi Correctional Facility in Rankin County. Convicted in 2000 on two counts of sexual battery and sexual assault in Alcorn County.
• Nicole Rathman, 33, died Aug. 23 at Merit Health Center, Rankin in Brandon from Central Mississippi Correctional Facility. Convicted of selling methamphetamine in Rankin County.
  
  
• Nija Syvallus Bonhomme, 24, died Aug. 20 at Wilkinson County Correctional Facility after a fight. Convicted of armed robbery and residential burglary in Pearl River County.
• John Luttrell, 67, died Aug. 20 at Merit Health Rankin hospital in Brandon from Central Mississippi Correctional Facility in Pearl.
• James Myrick, 63, died Aug 19 at Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman. Convicted of fondling in Yalobusha County.
• Lucious Bolton, 29, died Aug. 15 at Allegiance Specialty Hospital in Greenville. Housed at Mississippi State Penitentiary, Parchman. Convicted of burglary and possession of a firearm by a felon in Jackson County.
  
  
• Ricky Martin, 58, died Aug. 11 at Central Mississippi Correctional Facility, Pearl. Convicted of selling cocaine in Lowndes County.
  
  
• Robert Joseph, 38, Aug. 5 at Central Mississippi Correctional Facility, Pearl. Convicted of drug possession in Harrison County.
  
  
• Jack Glisson, 70, died Aug. 5 at at South Mississippi Correctional Institution, Leaksville. Convicted of murder in Jones County.
  
  
• Willie Hollinghead, 36, died Aug. 4 at South Mississippi Correctional Institution, Leaksville. Convicted of selling cocaine in Wayne County.
  
  
• Charles R. McCullough, 66, died Aug. 4 at Mississippi State Penitentiary, Parchman. Convicted on charges in Pike and Amite counties.
  
  
• Albert McGee, 57, died Aug. 2 at South Mississippi Correctional Institution, Leaksville. Convicted of murder in Jackson County.

— Sun Herald