LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Grand juries will be convened to investigate two inmate deaths this week at the Nebraska State Penitentiary in Lincoln.
49-year-old Douglas Wright died Thursday afternoon. Authorities say Wright was being treated for a long-term medical condition when he died. He was serving a four- to five-year prison sentence for dealing methamphetamine and had been set to be released in February.
On Monday, 56-year-old Charles Burriell was found unresponsive in his cell. He was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. He had been serving a 20- to 30-year sentence for first-degree sexual assault of a child. Prison officials have not released the cause of Burriell’s death.
State law requires a grand jury investigation anytime someone dies in custody.