Kevin Whitaker
Kevin Brent Whitaker, 38, of Princeton, died on February 16, 2019, while held at the Southern Regional Jail in Raleigh County, West Virginia. A criminal complaint says he pressed a cell button to call for help and then remained unattended for about 90 minutes, and court records say three other men spent four minutes in his cell before corrections officers found him with multiple head injuries. He lost consciousness while waiting for first responders and was later pronounced dead at a hospital. West Virginia State Police said he was beaten by other people held at the jail, and a Raleigh County grand jury indicted five men in connection with his death. The case was still moving through court in March 2020.
Cause of death, as reported: Killed by another person in custody (neglect alleged). State police and the Department of Military Affairs and Public Safety say other people held at the jail beat him to death, and a criminal complaint says he pressed a cell button for help and was left unattended for about 90 minutes.
Reported by: Department of Military Affairs and Public Safety (the agency that held him); West Virginia State Police (outside investigators); Raleigh County grand jury (court); criminal complaint and court records; Raleigh County Prosecutor's Office.
Sources (8)
- News report
- WV State Police investigate murder at the Southern Regional Jail
- Three inmates charged in beating death at Southern Regional Jail
- 3 inmates charged in beating death at West Virginia jail
- Eleventh inmate dies this calendar year at a West Virginia regional jail
- Five indicted for murder at Southern Regional Jail
- UPDATE: Inmate sentenced in murder of another inmate at SRJ