According to Tuesday’s statement, Richard Beasley (55) was declared dead at Allegiance Specialty Hospital, Greenville at 5:55 AM on August 31, 2018. Beasley was kept at the Mississippi State Penitentiary, Parchman. On November 20, 2012, he was sentenced in Lee County to 28 years for burglary and larceny. According to MDOC, the autopsy is still pending. Methel Johnson, Washington County coroner, stated Tuesday that she had sent a staff person to investigate and didn’t have any additional information. MDOC reported an average of 5 inmate deaths per calendar month between 2012 and 2017. This is less than the 11th consecutive month. The state had previously reported five deaths per month in August. Pelicia Hall, a top prison official, stated last week that she had called on the Federal Bureau of Investigation as well as the Department of Public Safety to investigate the deaths. The Department of Corrections previously stated that the majority of deaths were due to natural causes. Mississippi Today has more coverage on the spike in prison deaths last month.