Died in prison
Ronald James Ward Jr.
Ronald James Ward Jr., 48, died on April 9, 2014, while held at Montana State Prison in Deer Lodge. He was found unresponsive in a high-security housing unit on a Wednesday evening and was pronounced dead at a hospital. Prison officials said an autopsy was planned and that no foul play was suspected, and a prison news release described the death as unexpected. No cause of death had been announced in the accounts reviewed, and the state medical examiner was to determine it.
Cause of death, as reported: Cause not yet determined