An inmate from Massachusetts Treatment Center in Bridgewater was handed a 10-12 year state prison sentence after being convicted for the beating death of a fellow inmate, as reported by Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz. The man sentenced, Michael Robinson, 47, faced charges of Involuntary Manslaughter and Assault and Battery with a Dangerous Weapon.
According to a social media post from DA Tim Cruz, the deadly incident took place on April 13, 2021, when at about 10:38 p.m., corrections officers were alerted to an altercation in a facility bathroom. The victim, identified as Scott Wonoski, 43, of Worcester, was found in an unresponsive state and later pronounced dead due to blunt force injuries of the head and torso as ruled by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.
Inmate Convicted Of Beating Fellow Inmate To Death Sent To State Prison pic.twitter.com/9vJzbzCr4j
— DA Tim Cruz (@PlymouthCtyDAO) January 9, 2026
During the six-day trial that concluded on December 17, 2025, the jury deliberated for eleven hours before returning with a guilty verdict for Robinson. The prosecution requested Robinson to serve between 18-20 years in state prison, followed by 10 years of probation, but the final judgment came to 10-12 years imprisonment. Video evidence from the facility, which captured the assault, played a key role in the jury's decision.
The prosecution team, led by Assistant District Attorneys Kevin O'Leary and Jason Herron, worked alongside Massachusetts State Police Detectives assigned to the Plymouth County District Attorney's Office and the Massachusetts Department of Correction in the investigation of this case. The video surveillance obtained from the facility clearly showed Robinson assaulting the victim and then leaving the bathroom, as reflected in the court proceedings.
