Russel Dee Blackwell II
Russell Dee Blackwell, 35, died on May 21, 2026, after he was injured in a fight in his cell at the Johnson County jail in Franklin, Indiana. The Johnson County Sheriff's Office said he was taken to Johnson Memorial Hospital and then moved to IU Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis, where he died, and it attributes his injuries to a battery. An autopsy, as cited in court documents, attributed his death to blunt force trauma. The sheriff's office has asked prosecutors to bring a voluntary manslaughter charge against the other person held in the cell, and prosecutors will decide what charges to file.
Cause of death, as reported: Killed by another person in custody. The Johnson County Sheriff's Office says he was injured in a fight in his cell with another person held there, and an autopsy as reported in court records attributed his death to blunt force trauma.
Reported by: Johnson County Sheriff's Office (the agency that held him); autopsy as cited in court documents; court documents.
News reports (4)
- UPDATE: Greenwood man dies after altercation at Johnson County jail
- Inmate charged with manslaughter after beating cellmate to death at Johnson County jail - WISH-TV
- Johnson County inmate dies after jail altercation, investigation underway
- 'Needed someone to punch him' | Johnson County Jail inmate charged after allegedly beating another inmate to death