A Washington State Prison inmate was found dead in a shower within the facility over the weekend and investigators have determined his death was the result of a homicide.
62-year-old Dayva Cross was reportedly attacked shortly before 1:15 p.m. Sunday while taking a shower. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Cross was sentenced to death then to life behind bars for killing his wife and two stepdaughters in 1999.
His suspected killer has since been identified and moved to an “appropriate housing” as the investigation proceeds.
“While prisons are secure, they are largely unsafe,” Prison Policy Initiative stated in a recent report.
“Violence in prison is commonplace, tied to trauma prior to incarceration as well as mental health stressors inside.”
The medical examiner said that Cross died of homicide; no motive for the crime has immediately been disclosed.
