A man serving a life sentence for murder was found unresponsive inside his single-man cell at William E. Donaldson Correctional Facility in Bessemer around 1:39 p.m. Saturday, and was pronounced dead 61 minutes later. Montracious Devon Harris, 33, had been serving sentences out of Russell County for murder, assault and promoting prison contraband, according to the Jefferson County Coroner's Office.
Harris was pronounced dead at the prison at 2:40 p.m. that day, as reported by ABC 33/40. The Alabama Department of Corrections' Law Enforcement Services division is investigating his death, and an autopsy was scheduled for Monday to help determine the cause and manner of death, the outlet reported.
A Violent Case That Started on King Drive
Harris's life sentence traced back to the November 6, 2020 shooting death of a man sitting in a vehicle on King Drive in Phenix City. In the aftermath of the killing, Harris led Phenix City police on a vehicle chase and used his car as a weapon to assault a responding officer before briefly fleeing the scene, according to Opelika-Auburn News.
That wasn't Harris's only brush with institutional violence. Harris was arrested on October 12 in connection with an assault on another inmate and was later convicted of assault.
Death Comes Amid Federal Scrutiny of ADOC
Harris's death at Donaldson lands at a moment when Alabama's prison system is under intense federal pressure. In September, federal prosecutors filed a motion for summary judgment in their Eighth Amendment civil lawsuit against the Alabama Department of Corrections, arguing that the state's men's prisons suffer from pervasive and unconstitutional levels of violence, homicides, and officer neglect, according to the Alabama Reflector.
The U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against Alabama and ADOC over inmate violence and staff use of force in state prisons, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Other Prison-System Concerns
Drug use and trafficking have also been concerns in Alabama prisons.
The exact cause of Harris's death has not been determined, and investigators have not released further details beyond the timeline of his discovery and pronouncement.
