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UTAH STATE PRISON — Unified police detectives believe an inmate killed on Wednesday suffered fatal injuries during an assault from his cellmate.
James C. Corbett, 33, who was scheduled to be released in less than a month, was found unresponsive in his cell in the Olympus facility about 11:30 p.m. Wednesday. He was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead at 12:30 a.m. Thursday.
On Friday, Unified police announced that Timothy P. Maez, 38, is being investigated for murder.
Corbett suffered trauma to his face and head, said Unified Police Lt. Lex Bell. A ballpoint pen that is believed to have been used in the attack was also recovered, but detectives do not believe it was used to cause the fatal injuries, he said.
Corbett and Maez had been cellmates since July 29, said Utah Department of Corrections spokeswoman Brooke Adams. The Olympus facility is also where inmates with mental health issues receive treatment.
Maez has an extensive criminal history, in and out of prison since 1999. His most recent convictions include aggravated kidnapping, retaliation against a board of pardons member and propelling a substance at a correctional officer, according to the Department of Corrections. His most recent stay in prison began in June 2014.
Related:
Inmate death being investigated as a homicide
A Utah State Prison inmate was found dead in his cell Wednesday, and Unified police are investigating it as a homicide.In March, Maez — who has hepatitis C and is HIV positive — was convicted of intentionally flinging blood and saliva at two corrections officers and a nurse, according to charging documents.
In addition, after receiving repeated warnings not to send threatening letters to parole board members, he sent one in January of 2015 stating, "I'll do what I wont (sic) to do, I'll kill you and anyone else that gets in my way. … I'll kill you your family kids anyone that trys (sic) to tell me what to do," according to the charges.
Maez's next scheduled appearance before the Utah Board of Pardons and Parole is set for May 2019.
Corbett was convicted of two counts of attempted sexual abuse of a child in 2007 and ordered to serve two consecutive sentences of up to five years in prison. He was scheduled to be discharged, meaning he had completed his sentence, on Sept. 9.
