Inmate Dies After Altercation With Cellmate: Maryland State Police

JESSUP, MD — Maryland State Police are investigating the death of an inmate from the Maryland Correctional Institution in Jessup.

Brian Bell, 42, was declared dead July 26 by hospital personnel after being taken to R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center. His cellmate was taken to the University of Maryland Baltimore Washington Medical Center, the MSP reported.

The Maryland State Police homicide unit was contacted around 6:15 p.m. July 26 by the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services Internal Investigative Unit regarding Bell's death. Preliminary findings suggest that Bell and another inmate were in their cell when a corrections officer noticed blood on both individuals, the Maryland State Police reported.

Bell was serving a 19-year sentence for a 2019 burglary committed in Frederick County. His death comes just five months after another deadly encounter between cellmates at the same facility.

The inmate, who is a suspect in the incident, has not been charged or identified at this point in the investigation, the MSP stated. The investigation is ongoing.