Offender Benjamin Williford (#1537738) died Tuesday afternoon at Maury Correctional Institution after an apparent suicide. He was found unresponsive in his cell at about 1:20 p.m. Prison medical staff and local paramedics responded and worked to resuscitate the offender but were unsuccessful. He was pronounced dead by emergency medical staff at 2:03 p.m.
Williford, 32, was sentenced in Watauga County in 2017 and was serving a 35-year sentence for second degree murder and arson. He was scheduled to be released in August 2052.
The State Bureau of Investigation is assisting the investigation.
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