Arizona inmate’s death ruled homicide
The death of an inmate at a prison near Kingman, Arizona, has been ruled a homicide.
Lab analysis of brain tissue showed Neal Early, 23, died of blunt force injuries to the head, the Clark County coroner's office said.
The inmate from Peoria, Arizona, died at University Medical Center in Las Vegas on Jan. 19, three days after he was injured. He was in the medium-security Cerbat Unit of a privately operated state prison in Golden Valley.
Authorities have reviewed surveillance video that shows Early and a half dozen or more other inmates entering and exiting a bathroom area, but the video does not show who assaulted Early, said Jace Zack, deputy Mohave County attorney.
Zack said Early exited the bathroom holding one of his hands to his face.
Early's family has filed a $7.5 million claim alleging negligence.
Inmates escaped from the same prison in 2010, leading to a double murder in New Mexico, and a dozen people were injured in four days of rioting there in July.
