BESSEMER, Ala. (AP) — An Alabama inmate serving life imprisonment after being convicted of murder in 1993 died in an assault at Donaldson prison outside of Birmingham, authorities said Thursday.
William Eric Jennings, 49, was found unresponsive in his two-man cell on Tuesday night after suffering blunt-force injuries during a reported assault by another inmate, the Jefferson County Coroner’s Office said in a statement. The man died early Wednesday, it said.
Jennings, whose last address was in Gardendale, was convicted of capital murder in the shooting death of Brian Keith Weston during a theft, news outlets reported. Sentenced to life without parole, he was at least the second inmate killed at Donaldson prison in about a week.
Jennings’ death is being investigated as a homicide. Coroner’s officials directed questions to the Department of Corrections, which did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.