A 49-year-old man incarcerated at Marble Valley Regional Correctional Facility in Rutland died on Sunday after being admitted to the hospital, according to the Department of Corrections. He’s the ninth person held at a state prison to die this year.
Jack Martin, of Windsor, reported difficulty sitting upright in his cell on Friday and was taken to Rutland Regional Medical Center and then died Sunday afternoon, DOC says.
Martin has been incarcerated since Oct. 11 after being arrested on charges of assault and robbery and possession of heroin.
Vermont State Police are investigating the incident, a standard procedure when someone held in prison dies. VSP said in a press release the death doesn’t appear suspicious at this time. A cause and manner of death has not been determined and an autopsy is pending.
DOC and the Defender General’s officer will conduct separate inquiries into the incident as well.
Martin is the ninth person to die in DOC custody this year. Of the other eight, four died from natural causes, two died by suicide, and one died from an a drug overdose, according to their death certificates. One person's death certificate is still pending, according to a spokesperson for the health department.
The state has reported more prison deaths in 2022 than any of the past five years. DOC reported 15 deaths at state prisons between 2017 and 2021.
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