Inmate safety concerns raised after man allegedly strangles cellmate

ST. LOUIS -- An investigation was underway Monday into the death of an inmate at a St. Louis jail, allegedly by a homeless man who shared his cell.

Police said homicide detectives were called to the St. Louis Justice Center about 8 p.m. Saturday to investigate a murder. A 31-year-old, Robert Francis, allegedly strangled his 49-year-old cell mate, Michael Stevens, who was pronounced dead on arrival at an area hospital.

St. Louis authorities said Francis was homeless and being held for trespassing when a fight began between the men. Francis was charged with murder Monday. Stevens, of St. Louis, was in the jail for unlawful use of a knife, they said.

The downtown justice center primarily houses people awaiting court proceedings in the city, but also holds inmates convicted of offenses.

Both the suspect and the victim were arrested Friday, awaiting Monday court appearances, and were the only two in the cell at the time of the killing, said the city's Public Safety director Charles Bryson. It is routine for two inmates to share cells there, he said.

The center can hold 845 inmates. There were 812 people being held there Monday, a figure about the same as Saturday night, Bryson said.

Bryson said eyewitness accounts were gathered from within the justice center, and he said he was meeting with corrections workers and others Monday for a debriefing. He said he could not yet say what may have happened before the killing, or whether security or anything else at the center needs to be addressed. Those areas would be looked into, he said.

"I don't know if the person snapped, or if there had been an escalation throughout the day," he said. He said there was no knowledge of a previous history between the two men.

He said corrections officers can hear everything going on, and make rounds for visual updates, looking into each cell as they walk past. He said cameras are also used to monitor activity. Bryson said officials will look into whether anyone on staff in the area was on a break at the time of the killing.

He said the corrections officer who first saw a problem called for backup and was supposed to wait for that backup to arrive before entering the cell.

"I don't want any death on my watch. Frankly, it's disturbing," Bryson said.

Bryson didn't take the loss of a human life and someone's family member lightly, but also said corrections officers do one of the toughest jobs he could think of. He said an investigation will help determine if any protocols had not been followed or needed to be changed.

A criminal defense attorney in the St. Louis region, Rick Sindel, said in a telephone interview that the death was definitely a concern to his clients housed at the center, and to their families, but said overall safety at the center is pretty good. "As a general rule, I'd say it's OK," he said.

Lawyer John Wallach is representing family members of LaVonda Kimble. The 30-year-old Kimble died April 11, 2007, after suffering an asthma attack while housed at the justice center, which he alleged was not responded to properly.

Much of what he has looked into at the justice center relates to a private contractor that provides medical services to the center.

But, he said, he has heard from people with serious safety concerns. "What we've been hearing is that the justice center is not a safe place. Whether people have to spend hours in there or weeks, the level of support and care, even for people who are in for minor matters, is abysmal."