Homicide suspected in death of Georgia prison inmate

A Valdosta State Prison inmate’s death is being investigated as suspected homicide, the Georgia Department of Corrections said this week.

Prince Blige died Wednesday morning after a fight with another inmate, the DOC said. Blige was serving a life sentence following 1990 rape conviction in Chatham County.

“He was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced deceased at approximately 11:38 a.m.,” the DOC said in news release.

The other inmate’s name was not released. The DOC and the GBI are investigating the death.

The death was the second in less than two months involving a state inmate. Michael Dawson, a Baldwin State Prison inmate, died on Christmas morning after a fight with an inmate. Dawson was serving a life sentence for murder.

In July, another Valdosta inmate died after a fight with another prisoner, according to the DOC. At the time of his death, Elander Johnson was a serving a 25-year sentence for armed robbery.

With a capacity of 1,312, Valdosta State Prison houses men, according to the DOC website.

In other news:

After two youths engaged in excessive “horseplay,” which is not seen in the video, four officers entered Sumter’s gymnasium to remove one juvenile. The youth ended up in handcuffs following a scuffle with multiple officers. Then one officer struck the youth in the midsection with his knee and flipped him onto the floor. The officer resigned while under investigation for the inappropriate use of force. At Georgia’s seven juvenile prisons, hundreds of surveillance cameras capture the daily violence and chaos that permeate the facilities. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution obtained videos of several incidents involving the use of force by corrections officers at the Sumter Youth Development Campus in Americus. The state Department of Juvenile Justice obscured the faces of juveniles in the videos.

About the Author

Alexis Stevens