Garner Prison Inmate Death Ruled Suicide

Following an autopsy, the chief state medical examiner has determined that a Garner Correctional Institution inmate committed suicide on November 29 in the state’s high-security prison on Nunnawauk Road.

The medical examiner ruled that Brian Negron, 19, committed suicide due to asphyxia caused by neck compression, a spokesman said.

State police said they responded to Garner at about 6:32 pm after receiving a report about the incident. Negron was transported to Danbury Hospital where he was pronounced dead, state police said.

The state Department of Correction (DOC) declined to disclose the identity of the inmate or to disclose the pending charges on which he was being held at Garner. The inmate had entered the prison system last September, according to DOC. The state police, however, released the name of the inmate this week.

“At approximately 6 pm on Saturday, November 29, 2008, correctional staff was alerted to an inmate with a bed sheet tied around his neck. When staff entered the cell, the inmate was found to be unresponsive. The other end of the sheet was secured to the upper bunk,” the DOC said in a statement.

“Correctional and medical staff immediately initiated emergency and life saving measures. The inmate was transported to Danbury Hospital where he was pronounced dead at approximately 6:45 pm,” it added.

State police spokesman Lieutenant J. Paul Vance said that the cell in which the incident occurred was a dual-occupancy cell. However, there appears to be no criminal aspect in the death, he said.

The DOC’s security division, as well as state police, are investigating the incident, according to the DOC.