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An inmate has died following an alleged strangulation by his cellmate in a Las Vegas jail, according to city police.
While conducting a routine walkthrough, a corrections officer at the Clark County Detention Center found the unresponsive body of a 59-year-old man lying in his cell.
Metropolitan Police confirmed in a news release on Thursday that the man was named Blancy Yonko.
Yonko was taken to a trauma centre at the University Medical Centre in a critical condition, where he died of his injuries on Tuesday.
Homicide detectives say an investigation indicates that the suspect, identified as 39-year-old Steven Revell, and the victim had a confrontation inside the cell, before Revell allegedly strangled the victim. Police have detained Revell.
"The victim was taken off of life support yesterday evening," Las Vegas police officer Larry Hadfield said on Wednesday.
Revell was originally incarcerated after being involved in the stabbing of a tourist on Fremont Street in downtown Las Vegas on December 5th, which police said was "completely unprovoked". According to an arrest report, he was arrested and charged with attempted murder and possession of a controlled substance.
Police said they will now pursue a count of open murder against Revell. The identity and cause and manner of the victim's death will be determined by the Clark County Coroner's Office early next week.
There have long been warnings about the high death rates in U.S. jails. A report released by Reuters in October found inmate death rates had risen 35 percent in a decade. It found that 7,571 prisoners died between 2008 and 2019, two thirds of whom were never convicted of the charges on which they were held.
In August, a 79-year-old man who was serving two life sentences for molesting a child died after he was attacked by a fellow inmate. "Every inmate death is thoroughly investigated by law enforcement," the Florida Department of Corrections said in a statement at the time.
In July, a convicted child sex offender was killed by another inmate less than a week after arriving in prison. Officials treated the death of 66-year-old Agustin Duran as a possible homicide after officers were called to one of the facility's dayrooms to find the man being punched in the head and torso by a 19-year-old fellow inmate. His assailant only stopped attacking him after police set off a pepper spray grenade to incapacitate him.
Las Vegas Police said anyone with any information about this incident should contact them.
