Saginaw Prison Inmate Allegedly Strangled Cell Mate
The Michigan State Police are currently investigating a murder that took place inside the Saginaw Correctional Facility in Freeland. Jason Nathaniel Turnbull, a 23-year-old former resident of Brighton, was strangled to death inside his cell after an argument with his cell mate.
Apparently the incident began at about 9:30 in the evening, and quickly devolved into a physical assault. By the time the prison guards were alerted and could respond to the scene, Turnbull was already unresponsive. He was pronounced dead about an hour later. Police are saying that, until the cellmate is formally charged, his name will not be released. However, he was allegedly segregated following the incident, and then moved to another prison.
Turnbull was serving a prison sentence of up to 15 years for third-degree criminal sexual conduct, along with a 1 year sentence for several fourth-degree CSC convictions. Under Michigan law, third degree CSC refers to sexual penetration of a person who is not old enough to consent to sex. Commonly, third degree CSC is the term used for what was once called statutory rape, however, it can also refer to any form of sexual penetration with a minor.
Ask anyone what happens to child molesters, or “child rapists” in prison, and they’ll tell you with absolute certainty, that they are likely to be “shanked in the shower.” Why? Because it has become an indelible part of current urban mythology that the incarcerated population metes out justice a little differently on the inside. And that people convicted of sexually assaulting children are usually treated with open hatred, and often violence, inside the prison system.
But the reality of urban mythology is that it’s exactly that – mythology. According to statistics released by the Bureau of Justice, you are probably more likely to be murdered on the streets of your home city than you are in prison. In fact, the current number of inmates who are killed by other inmates while in prison is 3 out of every 100,000. Not exactly a staggering number.
Because this case is currently under investigation, and very few details have been released, we have no idea what the cause of the initial argument was. While many people are choosing to believe that it was based on the type of crime that Turnbull was incarcerated for, we would rather wait and see what evidence is produced before making an assumption.
But given the fact that it has only been a few months since a similar killing took place in a Michigan prison, in which Steven Sandison killed his cellmate for being a child molester, it is understandable why people may be a little hasty in jumping to conclusions.