Inmate dies at Ely State Prison
An inmate died at Ely State Prison over the weekend.
Edward Bennett, 45, was found unresponsive in his single cell Saturday, according to the Nevada Department of Corrections. The prison’s medical staff couldn’t revive him.
Bennett was serving a sentence of life without parole for a murder. He was committed from Clark County and has been incarcerated since Oct. 20, 1988.
The White Pine sheriff’s office coroner will conduct an autopsy, the agency said.
Bennett was originally sentenced to death, but he was given a lesser penalty in one of many appeals — one of which went as high as the Nevada Supreme Court.
Court documents say Bennett purchased a handgun from a pawn shop in Provo, Utah, and traveled to Las Vegas with Joseph Beeson on Feb. 8, 1988. The next day, the two men entered a Stop N’ Go Market, where Beeson pretended to make a purchase.
Bennett pulled out his gun and shot the store clerk, Michelle Moore, in the face. She was killed instantly, the document says.
Contact Wesley Juhl at wjuhl@reviewjournal.coma and 702-383-0391. Find him on Twitter: @WesJuhl.
