Inmate dies in South Carolina prison and it’s called suspicious, officials say
An inmate died at a South Carolina prison May 9, and his death was investigated as suspicious, according to the the state Department of Corrections.
Leo Jermaine Cheeks, 40, was found unresponsive in his cell at at Lee Correctional Institution, the S.C. Department of Corrections said in a news release. That’s the same prison where seven inmates were killed and 17 more were injured during a violent incident in 2018.
Cheeks’ death was publicly reported Saturday morning, but no cause of death was announced at that time.
On Tuesday, the S.C. Department of Corrections said Cheeks died of natural causes.
An autopsy performed Monday showed no foul play and the death is no longer being investigated as suspicious, according to the S.C. Department of Corrections.
The death was investigated by the S.C. Department of Corrections Inspector General’s office, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division and the Lee County Coroner’s Office.
In 2022, Cheeks pleaded guilty to a drug charge and a second-degree burglary (violent) charge, and was sentenced to 10 years in prison, Greenville County court records show.
Lee Correctional is a men’s-only, split-custody prison that houses inmates in “close” (high-security) and “medium security” facilities, according to the Department of Corrections. Like other close prisons in South Carolina, Lee is “designed primarily to house violent offenders with longer sentences, and inmates who exhibit behavioral problems,” the Department of Corrections said.
The prison is in Bishopville, about 50 miles east of Columbia.
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This story was originally published May 11, 2025 at 11:35 AM.
