May 23, 2014 1 min read

A Philadelphia man was charged with criminal homicide Friday, accused of strangling his cellmate in January at the State Correctional Institution at Greene.

State police lodged the charges against Raphael Spearman, 24, alleging that he killed Ronald Yarbough, 22, of Cresson at the Franklin Township lockup around 5:30 p.m. Jan. 10. Dr. Cyril Wecht ruled that Yarbough’s cause of death was mechanical asphyxiation.

In January, police said they were unaware of any reports that indicate there was any trouble between Yarbough and Spearman, but he noted that the men were housed in a special unit for inmates with mental health issues.

Yarbough had been at SCI-Greene since September serving a sentence of 1 to 4 years for aggravated bodily injury to an officer, a charge that originated in Cambria County.

Spearman is serving 6 1/2 to 15 years at SCI-Greene, which includes consecutive sentences for burglary and carrying an unlicensed firearm in public.