Jasper Co. inmate dies after ‘apparent fight’ with cellmate, prison officials say
A Jasper County inmate died in custody Tuesday after an “apparent fight” with his cellmate in a Ridgeland prison, officials say.
Patrick Chase Massey, 34, of Greer, S.C., was found unresponsive and was pronounced dead in his cell at the Ridgeland Correctional Institution, according to a press release from the South Carolina Department of Corrections. His cellmate, who was not named, was treated at the facility for non-significant injuries “consistent with a fight.”
The incident will be investigated as a suspected homicide by the SCDC Inspector General’s Office with help from the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division and Jasper County Coroner’s Office, the release says.
Massey had been incarcerated at various state prisons since January 2014 and was moved to RCI in July 2023 with a projected release date of May 21, 2026. His 14 convictions out of Greenville and Oconee counties include multiple felony-level burglaries, several drug charges, property damage and breaking into vehicles, according to SCDC records.
RCI is an all-male, medium security prison that holds about 1,100 inmates. The facility is across the street from the Jasper County Detention Center in the northern town limits of Ridgeland.
SCDC spokesperson Chrysti Shain would not answer additional questions about Massey’s death, including what time his body was found by prison officials or whether he had been involved in previous fights during his incarceration.
Massey was the third inmate who died in the custody of RCI within four years. Officials reported their last inmate death in March 2023, when 32-year-old Joel Nathaniel Witman died at a local hospital in a suspected drug overdose.
In December 2020, inmate Leonard Jones was found unresponsive in his cell during a four-year sentence for shoplifting. He had been in prison multiple times prior for burglary and domestic violence.
This story was originally published December 11, 2024 at 12:43 PM.
