|
 Lawrence Phillips, 39, was suspected in the death of 37-year-old
Damion Soward, who was found unresponsive in their cell on Saturday
and died at a local hospital the next day, officials at the Kern
Valley State Prison said on Monday.
The Times reported on Wednesday that the Kern County coroner's
office said Soward died of neck compression asphyxia, and that his
death was a homicide.
Representatives for the coroner's office could not be immediately
reached.
Soward was serving a sentence of 82 years to life for first-degree
murder, prison officials said. The Los Angeles Times reported that
Soward was a gang member who was convicted of executing a member of
a rival gang.
 Phillips played for three NFL teams over four years in the 1990s,
ending his career with the San Francisco 49ers in 1999.
Officials said Phillips entered the prison in the central California
city of Delano in October 2008 and was serving a sentence of 31
years and four months for domestic violence, false imprisonment and
vehicle theft.
Local media said at the time the charges stemmed from two instances
where he choked his girlfriend, including once where she lost
consciousness.
[to top of second column] |
Phillips had also been convicted of driving his car into three
teenagers after a pickup football game in an unrelated case,
according to local media.
Prison officials said Phillips was placed in a separate unit pending
the outcome of their investigation. It said prison officials there
were also investigating a separate case involving another inmate
over the death of another cellmate.
(Reporting by Curtis Skinner in San Francisco; Editing by Michael
Perry)
[© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
Copyright 2015 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
