Joseph Gacha Jr.
Joseph Gacha, 42, died on December 30, 2019, at SCI Fayette, a state prison in La Belle, Fayette County, Pennsylvania, while in the custody of the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections. The department announced the death in early January 2020 and did not release how he died, citing privacy for not telling his family. The Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency lists the manner of death as accident. A state trooper leading the investigation told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette he was more than likely high on the synthetic drug K2, and another report said investigators believed drugs smuggled into the prison contributed to his death. State police and the Fayette County Coroner's Office are still investigating, and the coroner has not yet determined the official cause.
Cause of death, as reported: Cause not yet determined
Reported by: Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency; Pennsylvania State Police (outside investigators); state trooper leading the investigation, as reported by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (outside investigators).
Sources (6)
- Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency, Death in Custody Reporting Act dashboard
- Fair queen murderer dies in state prison
- State Police Investigating Death Of Inmate Serving Life Sentence For Murder At SCI Fayette
- Luzerne County Fair queen murderer dies in state prison
- Man convicted of killing Luzerne County Fair queen dies in prison - Scranton Times-Tribune
- Inmate fight locks down state prison in Somerset; Fayette prison death being investigated as suicide