Inmate’s death at Toledo prison probed
3/19/2013The Ohio Highway Patrol is investigating the strangulation death of an inmate at the Toledo Correctional Institution.
Arturo Lopez, 43, was found about 10:30 p.m. Sunday in his cell at the prison on East Central Avenue in North Toledo and was taken to Mercy St. Vincent Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead, said Lt. Anne Ralston, spokesman for the Ohio Highway Patrol.
She said the assault on Lopez occurred in his cell, and the suspect in the homicide is another inmate.
“We are not releasing his name at this point in time,” she said.
Dr. James Patrick, Lucas County coroner, said Lopez was strangled with a rope. A ruling has not been made, but his death appears to be a homicide, Dr. Patrick said.
Lopez, formerly of Port Clinton, was admitted to the corrections system on Nov. 23, 2005, for a rape conviction out of Ottawa County. He was scheduled to be released in July, 2014, according to the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction’s Web site.
Lopez is the second inmate to be killed at the prison since it opened in 2000. Bradley L. Hamlin, 24, of Mantua, Ohio was strangled in the facility on Sept. 20 and died two days later at Mercy St. Vincent Medical Center.
Lawrence Michael Hensley, 43, was indicted for aggravated murder in the death of Hamlin, who had injuries on his arms and legs that indicated he had been restrained.
Hensley has pleaded not guilty. A trial date has not been set.