A 74-year-old Bennington man died early Wednesday morning at Southern State Correctional Facility in Springfield, the Department of Corrections said. He’s the eighth person to die at a state prison this year.
Charles Mould was found unresponsive in his cell by DOC staff around 3:20 a.m. on Wednesday, state police said in a press release. DOC staff called emergency medical services, who pronounced Mould dead about 20 minutes later.
Mould was housed in the infirmary unit at the time of his death, according to DOC. An autopsy is still pending and a cause of death has not been determined, though state police say the death does not appear suspicious at this time.
More from Vermont Public: DOC reports fifth death this year at state prison in Springfield
Vermont state police will investigate the incident and DOC will conduct its own review, a standard practice when someone dies in prison. The Defender General’s office will also conduct an investigation.
Mould, who’s been incarcerated since 2008, was serving a 40 year to life sentence on multiple charges, including aggravated sexual assault on a victim less than 10 years old.
The state has reported more prison deaths in 2022 than any of the past five years. In 2017 there were five fatalities in state prisons and last year there was only one. DOC reported 15 deaths at state prisons between 2017 and 2021.
Mould, who’s the eighth person to die in prison this year, is also the sixth person to die at Southern State Correctional Facility, which tends to house an older population and those with higher medical needs. Of the other five deaths at the Springfield prison, one was a suicide and four occurred after people experienced medical issues.
The other two deaths occurred at Northern State Correctional Facility in Newport and Northeast Correctional Complex in St. Johnsbury. One was a suicide and the other was a fatal drug overdose, according to their death certificates.
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