An investigation is ongoing into the deaths of two inmates at the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman. The Mississippi Department of Corrections will continue to provide information as soon as it is verified and is committed to providing updates as quickly as possible.
Timothy Hudspeth, 35, and the James Talley, 36 suffered fatal injuries Monday night at Unit 30, where they were housed, following an altercation with other inmates.
A third inmate was found hanging in his cell Wednesday in an apparent suicide. His name has not been released pending notification of next of kin.
Thus far, investigators have determined that the conflict that resulted in the death of Hudspeth and Talley is unrelated to the recent series of killings within the prison system.
“The safety of staff and prisoners at Parchman is our immediate priority, and we are working hard to restore and maintain order,” said Interim Commissioner Tommy Taylor. “We believe that the motivation behind this latest altercation is limited to this new tragic set of circumstances. The environment that makes such violence possible must be addressed quickly, and we are committed to making changes to do so.”
Hudspeth was serving 10 years for possession of firearm by a felon. He was sentenced in April 2018 in Tate County.
Talley, 36, was serving 11 years for two counts of aggravated assault and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon in Lee County. He had been in prison since October 2017.
The investigation into Talley and Hudspeth’s death is ongoing. The cause and the manner of death for each inmate are pending an autopsy. Sunflower County Coroner Heather Burton says the two men appear to have died from blunt force beating injuries.
As the Mississippi Department of Corrections works to restore and maintain order at the prison with 2,814 inmates today, movement is restricted until further notice.
