Ronnie Lionel White, 19, of Laurel, died Sunday morning in his jail cell. He had been charged with first-degree murder in the death of 39-year-old Prince George's County police Cpl. Richard Findley. Police said White was the driver of a pickup truck that struck Findley on Friday.
The Maryland Medical Examiner's Office ruled White's death a homicide.
Law enforcement sources said White died of either strangulation or asphyxiation. He had suffered two broken neck bones.
"The surrounding circumstances mean that we take a full and complete look and pull all the evidence together, and we'll make a decision at the end of that process," said Prince George's County State's Attorney Glenn Ivey.
Curtis Knowles of the Prince George's County Correctional Officers Association defended the jail's employees.
"It's going to be hard for me to believe that any one of my employees, my members, had it in their hearts to do harm to Mr. White," Knowles said.
Prince George's County jail spokeswoman Vicki Duncan said White was found unconscious in his cell about 10:30 a.m. Sunday. She said White was alone in his cell and there were no signs of trauma.
White was admitted to the jail at 12:24 a.m. Saturday and given a medical assessment before being placed in a cell.
Jail officials said he had been classified as a "high-profile offender" and was being housed alone in a maximum-security cell. Guards checked on him every 30 minutes.
Guards had checked on White about 10:15 a.m. Sunday. At the time, he was sitting on the edge of his bunk and appeared alert, according to a press release.
When they returned at 10:30 a.m. with his lunch, corrections officers found White "sitting on the floor" of his jail cell, unresponsive, the release said.
Guards could not revive him or detect a pulse. An ambulance took him to the Prince George's County Hospital Center at 11:08 a.m. He was admitted at about 11:28 a.m. and pronounced dead at 11:39 a.m., the release said.
County Public Safety Director Vernon Herron has asked police to launch an investigation into White's death. The jail will conduct an internal investigation.
The Prince George's County chapter of the NAACP called for a full investigation into the practices at the jail.
"He stayed in the custody of the Department of Corrections way too long," said June White-Dillard of the Prince George's County NAACP. "He should have been transferred immediately. Obviously, his civil rights have been violated."
Prince George's County Executive Jack Johnson said seven people had access to White in his cell, as well as a number of supervisors. Johnson did not immediately know who those individuals were.
"We are going to do everything within our powers to assure that justice is served," Johnson said. "We are going to work hand in hand with the FBI and Maryland State Police to ensure that those who are involved to be brought to justice.
"If we have vigilante justice, our society will fall apart. If we tolerate these kinds of acts, then the courts are superfluous."
Herron said White was in a solitary room at the jail and that he was separated from other inmates in the facility. Herron said no video cameras were in the area where White was being held.
White was one of four people taken into custody Friday after Findley, a veteran police officer, was struck and killed by the driver of a stolen pickup truck.
Findley had been monitoring the truck on Laurel-Bowie Road when at least two men returned to the vehicle, police said. Findley attempted to block the truck during an attempted traffic stop, which is when he was struck and dragged by the truck, according to charging documents.
Findley fired upon the truck, striking one of the people inside, according to court documents. That man identified White as the driver.
According to court records, White pleaded guilty to illegal possession of a firearm last year and to drug possession in another case. In 2006, he was charged with first-degree assault and armed robbery, but the case was dropped, records show. Last November, he was sentenced to more than six months in prison, but it's not clear when he was released.
It was unclear if White had an attorney, and family members could not be immediately located.
Police Chief Melvin High said the other three people who were taken into custody have been released.
A funeral service for Findley is set for 11 a.m. Thursday at St. Joseph's Church in Beltsville with interment at Lakemount Memorial Gardens in Davidsonville. Viewings will be held from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and again from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday at Borgwardt Funeral Home in Beltsville.
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