Martell Smith
Martell Lawaun Smith, 26, of Detroit, died on May 30, 2022, at the Macomb Correctional Facility, a state prison in Lenox Township. The Michigan Department of Corrections confirmed his death and said another prisoner killed him, and Michigan State Police are investigating it as a homicide. His grandmother, Patricia Whitsell, said prison officials told her he was stabbed in the neck with a shank during a fight and that guards used a Taser on him afterward, which she questions, asking why he would be Tased while trying to protect himself.
Cause of death, as reported: Killed by another person in custody (disputed). The Michigan Department of Corrections and State Police say another prisoner killed him, but his grandmother, relaying what prison officials told her, says guards used a Taser on him afterward and she questions that account.
Reported by: Michigan Department of Corrections (the agency that held him); Michigan State Police (outside investigators); grandmother Patricia Whitsell (family or their lawyers).
Sources (5)
- Prisoner serving sentence for 2013 homicide found murdered in Macomb prison
- Inmate serving time for murder killed in Macomb Correctional Facility
- Inmate stabbed, another found dead inside Macomb Correctional Facility
- Warden of state prison in Macomb County placed on paid leave
- Mich. prisoner charged with murdering cellmate, stabbing another