Luther Wade
Luther Wade, 26, of Springfield, Ohio, died in February 2016 at Lebanon Correctional Institution, a state prison in southwest Ohio, after being beaten in his cell by his cellmate. Prosecutors said the cellmate struck him repeatedly in the head with a cinder block and that a motive was never established, and the cellmate later pleaded guilty to aggravated murder. Wade's mother, Eugenia Wade, sued the state, saying prison officials were negligent in failing to inspect cells even though prisoners commonly removed blocks from the walls. The Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction agreed to settle the lawsuit for $225,000.
Cause of death, as reported: Killed by another person in custody (neglect alleged). Prosecutor David Fornshell says his cellmate beat him to death with a cinder block, and his mother's wrongful death lawsuit says prison staff failed to inspect cells as required, which a state review also found was not done.
Reported by: Warren County Coroner's Office (medical examiner or coroner); Ohio State Highway Patrol (outside investigators); Warren County Prosecutor David Fornshell; Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction (the agency that held him); Eugenia Wade, his mother, in a wrongful death lawsuit (family or their lawyers).
Lawsuit: His mother, Eugenia Wade, sued the state over the 2016 killing, and the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction agreed to settle for $225,000.
Sources (8)
- Inmate dies in fight at Lebanon prison
- Ohio patrol: Inmate beaten to death with concrete block
- Prosecutor: Inmate used cinder block to kill cellmate
- Could Lebanon inmate's death have been prevented?
- Inmate on bashing cellmate's head: 'He wouldn't die'
- Inmate pleads guilty in cellmate's death
- 2 inmates, including 3-time killer, suspected of stabbing Ohio prison guard dozens of times
- State to pay $225K to mother of son killed by cellmate