The death of an inmate at a federal jail in Los Angeles last week was ruled a homicide, resulting from stab wounds and strangulation, the Associated Press reports. Steve Bencom was found unresponsive at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles, the Bureau of Prisons said. Staff members attempted life-saving measures and called for emergency medical crews, but Bencom was pronounced dead at the jail. The death was unrelated to the coronavirus pandemic and the FBI was notified, a standard procedure.
The Los Angeles County coroner said the death was caused by the “combined effects of stab wounds and ligature strangulation.” Bencom was serving a 10-year sentence for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and controlled substances. The death is the latest serious security issue for the prison bureau, which has been plagued by chronic violence, serious misconduct and persistent staffing shortages. The death raises questions about whether officials can adequately protect the safety of the more than 160,000 federal inmates.