Coroner: Parchman inmates killed by ‘blunt force’

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - Two inmates were killed at the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman.

Timothy Hudspeth — Timothy Hudspeth(MDOC)

The two inmates were found dead Tuesday morning. One inmate was identified as Timothy Hudspeth, the other as James Talley. Talley was taken to the ER where attempts to revive him were unsuccessful.

Talley was reportedly killed at Parchman. He was taken to the ER in the overnight hours and... — Talley was reportedly killed at Parchman. He was taken to the ER in the overnight hours and pronounced dead on January 21.(WLBT)

Sunflower County Coroner Heather Burton said both inmates appeared to be dead from “blunt force beating injuries."

Both died in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

According to the Mississippi Department of Corrections, the murders appear to be an isolated incident and not related to the recent retaliatory killings.

The Parchman chaplain has reached out to the victims’ next of kin.

Five inmates have died at Parchman since the beginning of the new year.

Two deaths were gang related. The third was the result of a fight among cellmates. The fourth was the result of natural causes.

The fifth death happened during the weekend when officers found Gabriel Carmen hanging Saturday.

Governor Tate Reeves put out a statement on Twitter:

We have been working around the clock with MDOC and DPS to respond immediately and prevent this going forward. There is much more to be done here. We have asked them to provide as much information to the public as possible as quickly as possible. Transparency is the first step. https://t.co/ouMtp0mdQt
— Tate Reeves (@tatereeves) January 21, 2020

“We want to get accurate information out but we want to get it out as quickly as possible,' said Reeves following a press conference at the State Capitol Tuesday. "This administration is going to be transparent. That’s the reason the information was released this morning from the Department of Corrections. You didn’t have to hear rumors. Once they had the facts that they could release, they did just. And I have also directed them that as more facts become available and they can confirm them and it is information that is accurate that they will release that.”

That same desire for transparency was echoed by MDOC interim Commissioner Tommy Taylor Monday.

At the legislative level, Senator Juan Barnett says his corrections committee will explore every possible solution for the problems.

“Just know that going forward we are working on this on a daily basis and we’re trying to find the best solutions to correct this problem as soon as we can," noted Barnett. "Money doesn’t solve everything so we are looking at everything. When I say everything, I mean everything.”

MDOC said they are investigating further and will quickly release additional details as they become available.

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