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Maryland Inmate Faces Murder Charge in Death of Cellmate

marylandprisoncalls.com

CUMBERLAND, Md. (AP) - An inmate faces a first-degree murder charge in the slaying of his cellmate at a state prison in western Maryland.

The Allegany County State's Attorney's office said in a statement Monday that a grand jury indicted 26-year-old Venell Harris in the death of 30-year-old Darrell Murray at the maximum-security Western Correctional Institution near Cumberland.

Police say Murray was found unresponsive on his bunk with a bedsheet around his neck on July 29. An autopsy concluded he died from multiple injuries.

Harris is currently serving a 15-year sentence. He pleaded guilty in 2011 to attempted second-degree murder in Queen Anne's County.

Murray was serving a nine-year sentence for a Baltimore drug conviction. He had been imprisoned since 2007.

Don Rush is the News Director and Senior Producer of News and Public Affairs at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.