Inmate's death ruled homicide; 3 suspects being investigated - 13abc.com Toledo (OH) News, Weather and Sports

Lucas County Deputy Coroner, Dr. Diane Scala Barnett says 24-year-old Toledo Correctional Institution inmate Brad Hamlin was strangled to death.

"He suffered internal and external injuries to the neck. There was evidence of strangulation and quit a bit of internal injuries associated with that and because he was without oxygen so long his brain was not able to survive this, " said Dr. Barnett.
     
Hamlin, who was in prison for burglary, breaking and entering, and theft, was found injured in a cell on Thursday

 Dr. Barnett  drew a sketch layout of the prison to demonstrate where he was discovered.

"This is how the pod is shaped where the cells are and there's like a 100 inmates in this one pod and there's three levels of cells, but this area in here is a common meeting area where they watch television or mingle,"

She says the inmates are free to come and go in their cells, but aren't allowed in other inmates cells.  Hamlin was found in a back cell face down by a guard.

According to an Ohio State Highway patrol incident report "the victim/inmate was attacked by three suspects inside a cell"  

"They felt that the trauma occurred between 9am and 12:15pm. He had injuries on his upper on arms and lower legs. It appears to me that he was probably held down and restrained," said Dr. Barnett
 
Dr. Barnett says Hamlin was on life support, but died on Friday. He was brain dead. She declined to discuss what was used to strangle the inmate. She also told me the attack may be gang- related.

A spokesperson for the prison declined to talk about details of incident because the case is still under investigation.  She did say the prison has launched its own investigation to determine if prison employees followed proper procedures.