Pennsylvania State Police. Photo by James Short.
Pennsylvania State Police are conducting a homicide investigation, according to the state Department of Corrections
The Pennsylvania Department of Corrections confirmed Monday afternoon that the Pennsylvania State Police is conducting a homicide investigation into the death of another inmate at SCI Phoenix in Skippack Township on Friday, one day after being admitted to the prison.
Shaun Harden, 45, was found unresponsive in his cell, according to Joseph Terra, superintendent of the State Correctional Institution at Phoenix.
Harden was serving a 4-to-10-year sentence for aggravated indecent assault of a child on a Greene County conviction, Terra said. He arrived at SCI Phoenix on Thursday.
It is the second death at the state prison this year. Dwight Williams, authorities allege, stomped Ashokkumar Guru to death in August.
Prison staff immediately responded and provided life-saving measures until facility medical personnel arrived. Harden was pronounced deceased at 6:29 a.m., authorities said.
In accordance with policy, Pennsylvania State Police were notified and will conduct an investigation. The official cause of death will be determined by the Montgomery County Coroner's Office.
The deceased's next-of-kin has been notified, authorities said.
No information has been released as of 3 p.m. Monday regarding charges or a defendant.
