An inmate at the State Correctional Institution-Phoenix in Montgomery County has been charged with the murder of a fellow prisoner. The victim, 67-year-old Ashokkumar Guru, was discovered in his cell with severe injuries resulting from a blunt force attack, which an autopsy later confirmed as the cause of death, according to authorities, as reported by NBC Philadelphia.
The suspect, 42-year-old inmate Dwight Williams, now faces first-degree and third-degree murder charges, Guru was found beaten and unconscious by his cellmate who returned to the cell after leaving briefly to fill a water bottle, officials at the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office said, and despite immediate CPR and other life-saving efforts by correctional officers and EMS personnel, Guru was declared dead approximately an hour after the discovery. The nearby presence of a box with blood, coupled with surveillance footage obtained, points to the violent nature of the assault.
As FOX 29 detailed, video evidence showed Williams entering Guru's cell on the morning of the incident, shortly before the victim was found, and leaving with what appeared to be blood on his sneaker; another inmate was allegedly solicited by Williams to dispose of a brown paper bag, found later to contain a white Fila sneaker, further implicating Williams in the crime.
Tioga Publishing added that upon finding Guru bloodied and with what appeared to be a shoe imprint marking his face, correctional officers and first responders attempted resuscitation efforts until Guru passed away after which Williams tried getting rid of potential forensic evidence can be seen as an attempt to obscure his alleged involvement in Guru's death, and Williams will remain jailed at SCI-Phoenix pending his arraignment.
