SCI-Fayette inmate found dead in cell
There was no sign of foul play in the death of an SCI-Fayette inmate, the state police said in a news release Tuesday.
The body of Lavell Jones, 55, was found alone in his locked cell around 9:27 p.m. May 21, police said.
The county coroner’s office released the body to a funeral home. Fayette County Coroner Dr. Bob Baker said Wednesday that typically occurs in cases in which the person is elderly or has known health issues that make an autopsy unnecessary.
In a written response, the SCI-Fayette superintendent’s office declined to comment on Jones’ health prior to his death, citing the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. It referred questions to state police and the coroner’s office.
Earl Kauffman, who had represented Jones in an appeal of his case through the Post-Conviction Relief Act, had no comment Wednesday.
Jones was serving a life sentence for first-degree murder. A Philadelphia County jury found him guilty in 1994 of the fatal August 1992 shooting of Alexis Morris, as well as related misdemeanor offenses.