Inmate accused of girlfriend’s killing dies by suicide at High Desert prison

The Clark County coroner’s office said Monday that an inmate at High Desert State Prison, who had been awaiting trial in the killing of his girlfriend, died by suicide.

The cause of death for Markeem Benson, 30, was hanging, according to a spokesperson for the office.

Benson’s Dec. 22 death came exactly one year after his girlfriend, Renise “NeNe” Wolfe, was found shot to death in her apartment. He was on probation for a separate attempted robbery charge at the time he was arrested in connection with Wolfe’s killing.

When Benson died, he was serving a two-to-five-year prison sentence for the robbery and was also facing murder and gun possession charges in Wolfe’s death.

In January, Benson’s father, Eric Benson, testified before a grand jury that on Dec. 22, 2024, his son called him in a frantic state, saying that he had done “something bad” and that Wolfe was gone.

Investigators later found Wolfe’s body in her apartment the same day Benson called his father and brother. Police said that Wolfe was dressed only in a sports bra and socks and had been shot four times in the back of the head.

Authorities said that based on the bullet trajectories and surrounding evidence, the shooter was likely standing over Wolfe when she was killed.

The trial, in which Benson would have faced murder and gun possession charges, was scheduled for April.

The Nevada Department of Corrections, which oversees High Desert, did not immediately respond to inquiries about the circumstances of Benson’s death and the supervision conditions at the correctional facility.

If you are thinking about suicide, or are worried about a loved one or friend, help is available 24/7 by calling or texting the Lifeline network at 988. Live chat is available at 988lifeline.org.

Contact Akiya Dillon at adillon@reviewjournal.com.