Inmate accused in cellmate's death

IONIA, Mich. (WOOD) - An inmate at the Bellamy Creek Correctional Facility near Ionia has died following an assault.

The incident has been ruled a homicide, according to Michigan State Police.

An inmate assaulted a cellmate around 4:40 a.m. March 7, according to John Cordell of the Michigan Department of Corrections. The victim died March 9 at a hospital.

The victim, a 56-year-old, was 11 years into a 20- to 40-year sentence following a 2001 felonious assault and home invasion conviction. He had previously been convicted of manslaughter in 1982, according to MDOC.

The suspect inmate, a 40-year-old, is serving a 20- to 40-year sentence for a 1992 armed robbery, kidnapping and felon in possession of a firearm conviction.

More charges are pending.

Authorities are having difficulty notifying the victim's next of kin, so the victim's name has not yet been released.

Michigan State Police in Ionia are investigating.

Ionia County Prosecutor Ron Schafer told 24 Hour News 8 that he is still waiting for details from MSP investigators, and the case has not officially reached his office.

An incident like this, he said, is not surprising but is very rare.