Inmate’s Death Investigated

State police and state Department of Correction (DOC) officials are investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of a Garner Correctional Institution inmate.

State police said Garner inmate William Preston, 29, of Hartford was found unresponsive, lying on the floor of his single-person prison cell with shoelaces and torn bedding around his neck about 12:03 am June 25.

Mr Preston received emergency medical attention, after which he was transported to Danbury Hospital, where he was admitted in critical condition, state police said.

Mr Preston died at Danbury Hospital at 2:15 pm June 27, said DOC spokeswoman Heather Ziemba.

Ms Ziemba said July 3 all indications point to Mr Preston having made a suicide attempt in his cell. Mr Preston was housed in Cell F-125, which is in Garner’s mental health unit, Ms Ziemba said.

Mr Preston was serving a nine-year sentence following a conviction on a charge of first-degree robbery. The sentence began in April 1997.

Ms Ziemba said it is unclear how long the investigation into Mr Preston’s death will take.

The state’s high security prison at 50 Nunnawauk Road is designed for more than 700 inmates. It opened in November 1992.