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This is alist of notable people who have died inprison, whether in prison or in hospital while still serving a prison sentence. This list does not include inmates who wereexecuted as punishment for their crimes.
| Name | Date of death | Nationality | Cause of death | Known for | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rim-Sîn I | After 1764 BC | Larsa | Unknown | Ruler ofLarsa | |
| Vercingetorix | during 46 BC | Gaul (detained by theRoman Republic) | Strangulation | Gaulish leader defeated byJulius Caesar | |
| Gaius Asinius Gallus | 33 | Roman Empire | Starvation | Romansenator | |
| Alexander of Jerusalem | 251 | Roman Empire | Unknown | Martyr andsaint | |
| Mani | 274-03-02 or 277-02-26 | Unknown | Prophet and founder ofManichaeism | Manichaeans later depicted his death as acrucifixion in analogy to thecrucifixion of Jesus. | |
| Hilderic | 530 | Vandal Kingdom | Murder | King of theVandals andAlans | |
| Al-Abbas ibn al-Walid | 750 | Umayyad Caliphate | Unknown disease | Prince and general | |
| Abu Hanifa | 767-08-15 | Abbasid Caliphate | Unknown | Founder of theHanafischool of Islamic jurisprudence | His tomb was destroyed byShah Ismail of theSafavid Empire in 1508, but rebuilt by theOttomans in 1533. |
| Itakh | 849 | Abbasid Caliphate | Thirst | Commander in theTurkic army of the Abbasid Caliphate | |
| Tughj ibn Juff | 906 | Abbasid Caliphate | Unknown | Turkic military officer | |
| Muhammad ibn Yaqut | 935 | Abbasid Caliphate | Unknown | Official of the Abbasid Caliphate |
| Name | Date of death | Nationality | Cause of death | Known for | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abd al-Rahim ibn Ilyas | 1021 | Fatimid Caliphate | Suicide | Heir-apparent of thecaliphal-Hakim bi-Amr Allah | According to the official account, he committed suicide by thrusting a fruit knife into his belly, but coeval rumours insisted that he was assassinated. |
| Robert Curthose | 1134 | House of Normandy | Unknown | Duke of Normandy, eldest son ofWilliam the Conqueror | Imprisoned by his younger brotherHenry I of England. |
| Ibn Barrajan | 1141 | Almoravid dynasty | Unknown | ArabSufi figure ofAl-Andalus | |
| Joscelin II, Count of Edessa | 1159 | Unknown | Last rulingcount of Edessa | ||
| Daoud ibn al-Adid | 1207/08 | Unknown | 25thimam ofHafizi Isma'ilism | ||
| Peter II of Courtenay | 1219 | Unknown | Latin Emperor | ||
| Eleanor, Fair Maid of Brittany | 1241-08-10 | House of Plantagenet | Unknown | Princess and potential heiress to her house as granddaughter ofHenry II of England | Imprisoned by her uncleKing John of England and cousinHenry III of England to prevent her potential claim, without trial or sentence. Unbelievably rumored to be starved by John. |
| Sulayman ibn Daoud | 1248 | Unknown | 26th and lastimam ofHafizi Isma'ilism | ||
| Guy de Montfort, Count of Nola | 1291 | Unknown | Son ofSimon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester | ||
| Sayf al-Din Salar | October 1310 | Starvation | Viceroy of the Mamluk sultanal-Nasir Muhammad | ||
| Margaret of Villehardouin | February/March 1315 | Barony of Akova | Unknown | Baroness of two thirds of Akova | |
| Pietro d'Abano | 1315 | Abano Bagni (detained by the | Unknown | Philosopher,astrologer | |
| Ibn Taymiyya | 1328-09-26 | Unknown illness | SunniMuslimʿālim,muhaddith, judge,proto-Salafist theologian, ascetic, andiconoclastic theologian | ||
| Kęstutis | August 1382 | Unknown, presumablystrangled | Grand Duke of Lithuania, father ofVytautas, uncle ofJogaila | Jogaila claimed that his death was suicide by hanging. Most coeval sources conjecture that Kęstutis was strangled on Jogaila's orders. | |
| Nicolò Guarco | c. 1385 | Unknown | 7thdoge of theRepublic of Genoa | ||
| Dionysius, Metropolitan of Kiev | 1385-10-15 | Principality of Moscow | Unknown | Russian Orthodoxmetropolitan | |
| Guido III da Polenta | 1389 | Ravenna | Unknown | Lord of Ravenna, member of theDa Polenta family | Imprisoned by his sons. |
| Thomas of Woodstock, Duke of Gloucester | 1397-09-08/09 | Murder | Youngest child of KingEdward III of England | ||
| Eleanor, Duchess of Gloucester | 1452-07-07 | Unknown | English noblewoman, second wife ofHumphrey, Duke of Gloucester | Sentenced to life imprisonment fortreasonablenecromancy. Her imprisonment and forced divorce was likely politically motivated.[1] | |
| Pak P'aengnyŏn | 1456-06-07 | Joseon | Torture | Scholar-official, one of thesix martyred ministers, uncle ofQueen Janggyeong | All the males in his family were executed and females were enslaved. |
| Henry VI of England | 1471-05-21 | Probably murder | LastKing of England of theHouse of Plantagenet and disputedKing of France |
| Name | Date of death | Nationality | Cause of death | Known for | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bartholomew Sharp | 1702-10-29 | Unknown | Buccaneer andprivateer | ||
| Giovanni Battista Sidotti | 1714-11-27 | Unknown | Priest,missionary of thePropaganda Fide | ||
| Alexei Petrovich, Tsarevich of Russia | 1718-06-26 | Unknown | Tsarevich | Died two days after the senate had condemned him to death. | |
| Mary Read | 1721-04-08 | Fever | Pirate | Originally sentenced to hang, she claimed to be pregnant and received a temporarystay of execution. | |
| Aaron Margalita | c. 1725 | Poland (detained by | Unknown | Rabbi who later converted toCalvinism andLutheranism | |
| Dmitry Mikhailovich Golitsyn the Elder | 1737-04-14 | Natural causes | Aristocrat of theGolitsyn family, attempted to turn Russia into aconstitutional monarchy | ||
| Robert Blackbourn | 1748 | Unknown | Jacobite conspirator | Arrested for his involvement in anassassination plot of 1696 | |
| Stepan Fyodorovich Apraksin | 1758-08-17 | Unknown | Commander during theSeven Years' War | ||
| Tarakanova | 1775-12-15 | Tuberculosis | Pretender to the Russian throne | ||
| Lord George Gordon | 1793-11-01 | Typhoid fever | British politician | ||
| Louis XVII | 1795-06-08 | Scrofula | Dauphin of France | ||
| Franz Gotthardi | 1795 | Unknown | Hungarian-born businessman and seniorpolice officer | ||
| Wolfe Tone | 1798-11-19 | Suicide | Leader of the1798 Irish Rebellion against Great Britain | Sentenced todeath by hanging; committed suicide because he wanted to die byfiring squad (a soldier's death, rather than a criminal's) instead. |
| Name | Date of death | Nationality | Cause of death | Known for | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Darya Nikolayevna Saltykova | 1801-12-09 | Natural causes | Noblewoman from theSaltykov family, serial killer | ||
| Toussaint Louverture | 1804-04-07 | Natural causes | Leader of theHaitian Revolution who was imprisoned for launching a rebellion against France | ||
| Erminio Criscione | 1807-12-07 | Suicide or killed byAlexandre Pétion | Haitian Independence hero | ||
| Pedro Carujo | 1836-01-31 | Battle wounds | Military officer, one of the leaders in theRevolution of the Reforms | ||
| Solomon Dodashvili | 1836-08-20 | Tuberculosis | Georgian philosopher, journalist, historian, grammarian,belletrist and enlightener | ||
| Anthony Van Egmond | 1838-01-05 | Pneumonia, malnutrition and exposure | Dutch war veteran and an early settler in theHuron Tract | ||
| Osceola | 1838-01-30 | Seminole (detained by the | Peritonsillar abscess caused bytonsillitis | Leader of theSeminole | |
| Wilhelm Küchelbecker | 1846-08-23 | Tuberculosis | Romantic poet,Decembrist revolutionary | ||
| Mullá ʻAlíy-i-Bastámí | 1846 | Unknown | 2ndLetter of the Living in theBábí movement | ||
| Rrapo Hekali | December 1847 | Unknown | Albanian revolutionary | ||
| Ion Negulici | 1851-04-05 | Tuberculosis | Painter, participant in theWallachian Revolution of 1848 | ||
| Chui A-poo | 1851 | Suicide by hanging | Pirate | One of the two most notorious South China Sea pirates of the era | |
| Matilde Malenchini | 1858-09-08 | Unknown | Academic painter | Accused of pushing one of her maids out of a window when the maid was caught stealing. | |
| Dimitar Miladinov | January 1862 | Typhus | Bulgarian poet, folklorist, and activist | ||
| Konstantin Miladinov | January 1862 | Typhus | Bulgarian poet, folklorist, and activist | ||
| James Henry Gooding | 1864-07-19 | Unknown | Corporal in the54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment | ||
| Lorenzo Denning | 1865-02-08 | Unknown | Soldier, awarded with theMedal of Honor | ||
| Walerian Łukasiński | 1868-01-27 | Natural causes | Polish officer and political activist, symbol of the Polish struggle for independence | ||
| Stanislav Dospevski | 1878-01-06 | Unknown | Bulgarian painter, nephew ofZahari Zograf | ||
| Sándor Rózsa | 1878-11-22 | Tuberculosis | Outlaw, best-known Hungarianhighwayman | ||
| Grigory Goldenberg | July 1880 | Suicide | Revolutionary, member ofNarodnaya Volya | ||
| Hesya Helfman | 1882-02-01 | Peritonitis | Belarusian-Jewishrevolutionary, member ofNarodnaya Volya | ||
| Nikolai Kletochnikov | 1883-07-13 | Hunger strike | Revolutionary, joined the police to act as a source of inside information | ||
| Alexander Dmitrievich Mikhailov | 1884-03-30 | Unknown | Revolutionary, one of the founders ofZemlya i Volya andNarodnaya Volya | ||
| Alexander Dolgushin | 1885-06-30 | Tuberculosis | Populist | ||
| Maria Kutitonskaya | 1887-05-04 | Tuberculosis | UkrainianNarodnik revolutionary, attempted to assassinate the military governorLuka Illyashevich | ||
| Aizik Aronchik | 1888-04-02 | Unknown | Russian revolutionary, attempted to assassinateTsar Alexander II | ||
| Maria Kalyuzhnaya | 1889-11-07 | Suicide by poisoning | UkrainianNarodnik revolutionary | ||
| Nadia Smyrnytska | 1889-11-07 | Suicide by poisoning | UkrainianNarodnik revolutionary | ||
| Nadezhda Sigida | 1889-11-08 | Suicide by poisoning | Revolutionary | ||
| Maria Kovalevska | 1889-11-19 | Suicide by poisoning | UkrainianNarodnik revolutionary | ||
| Mariia Vetrova | 1897-02-24 | Self-immolation | Ukrainian teacher and revolutionary | ||
| Dervish Cara | Late 19th century | Unknown | Albanian revolutionary leader |
| Name | Date of death | Nationality | Cause of death | Known for | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gaetano Bresci | 1901-05-22 | Suicide by hanging | Anarchist, assassinated KingUmberto I of Italy | ||
| Nikola Aslanov | 1905-09-24 | Unknown | Bulgarian revolutionary, worker of theIMARO | ||
| Marko Boshnakov | 1908-02-15 | Unknown | Bulgariananarchist, member of theGemidziite | ||
| Milan Arsov | 1908-06-08 | Unknown | Bulgariananarchist, member of theGemidziite | ||
| Muhammad al-Kattani | 1909-05-04 | Died after being mutilated and beaten | Sufifaqih | ||
| Giovanni Passannante | 1910-02-14 | Unknown | Anarchist, attempted to assassinate KingUmberto I of Italy | ||
| Luigi Lucheni | 1910-10-19 | Suicide by hanging | Anarchist, assassinatedEmpress Elisabeth of Austria | ||
| Igor Sazonov | 1910-12-10 | Suicide by poisoning orself-immolation | Revolutionary, member of theSR Combat Organization | ||
| Hristo Batandzhiev | 1913-07-18 | Murder | Macedonian Bulgarian revolutionary, one of the founders of theInternal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization | ||
| Dmytro Yaremko | 1916-10-03 | Unknown | Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Lviv and titular bishop ofOstroh | ||
| Nikolay Radkevich | Autumn 1916 | Killed by fellow inmates | Serial killer | ||
| Gennaro Rubino | 1918-03-14 | Unknown | Anarchist, tried to assassinate KingLeopold II of Belgium | ||
| Frans Koskinen | 1918-04-26 | Unknown | Journalist and politician | Imprisoned for having sided with theReds during theFinnish Civil War. | |
| Gavrilo Princip | 1918-04-28 | Malnutrition and skeletal tuberculosis | Serbian assassin | AssassinatedArchduke Franz Ferdinand, beginningWorld War I | |
| Efraim Kronqvist | 1918-05-22 | Unknown | House painter and politician | Imprisoned for having sided with the Reds during the Finnish Civil War. | |
| Albin Valjakka | 1918-06-29 | Unknown | Journalist and politician | Imprisoned for having sided with the Reds during the Finnish Civil War. | |
| Julius Nurminen | 1918-07-24 | Unknown | Journalist and politician | Imprisoned for having sided with the Reds during the Finnish Civil War. | |
| Pavel Spiridonovich Medvedev | 1919-03-12 | Typhus | Bolshevik revolutionary, participant in theexecution of theRomanov family | ||
| Jussi Kujala | 1919-07-01 | Suicide | Journalist and former member of theParliament of Finland | ||
| Gaki Sherocho | 1919 | Kingdom of Kaffa (detained by | Unknown | LastKing of Kaffa | |
| Aleksandr Vladimirovich Razvozov | 1920-06-14 | Infection after anappendectomy | Rear admiral, first commander of the SovietBaltic Fleet | ||
| Ivan Kalmykov | September 1920 | Shot during an escape attempt | Ataman of theUssuri Cossacks | ||
| Michael Fitzgerald | 1920-10-17 | Hunger strike | Officer Commanding of theIrish Republican Army | ||
| Terence MacSwiney | 1920-10-25 | Hunger strike | Irish playwright, author and politician,Lord Mayor of Cork | ||
| Joe Murphy | 1920-10-25 | Hunger strike | Officer in theIrish Republican Army | ||
| Joseph Whitty | 1923-08-02 | Hunger strike | Volunteer in theIrish Republican Army | ||
| Denny Barry | 1923-08-02 | Hunger strike | Irish Republican | ||
| Yrjö Mäkelin | 1923-09-18 | Suicide | Socialist, journalist and former member of parliament | ||
| Andy O'Sullivan | 1923-11-22 | Hunger strike | Intelligence Officer and regional leader in theIrish Republican Army | ||
| Krishna Lal Adhikari | 1923-12-09 | Tuberculosis | Author of the now lost workMakaiko Kheti | ||
| Leung Ying | 1928-10-22 | Suicide by hanging | Mass murderer | The worst case of mass murder in California history at the time | |
| Dagmar Overbye | 1929-05-06 | Unknown | Serial killer | ||
| Uļi Kīnkamäg | 1932-06-01 | Unknown | Livonian nationalist, "King of Livs" | ||
| Ajvaagiin Danzan | 1932 | Unknown | Chairman of theMPRP | ||
| Richard Loeb | 1936-01-28 | Murdered by fellow inmate[2] | American murderer | ||
| Zmicier Zhylunovich | 1937-04-11 | Suicide | Belarusian Poet, journalist and political leader | Arrested during theGreat Purge as an "enemy of the Belarusian people" | |
| Antonio Gramsci | 1937-04-27 | combination ofarteriosclerosis,pulmonary tuberculosis,high blood pressure,angina,gout and acutegastric disorders | Marxist philosopher,linguist, journalist, writer, and politician | Arrested by theOVRA |
| Name | Date of death | Nationality | Cause of death | Known for | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albert Richter | 1940-01-02 | Unknown | Cyclist and World amateursprint champion | His death was successively ruled as a skii accident, being beaten by rival smugglers, suicide by hanging, suicide by shooting and having fallen at theEastern Front. Richter was presumably killed by theGestapo. | |
| Tony D'Arcy | 1940-04-16 | Hunger strike | Senior leader in theIrish Republican Army | ||
| Jack McNeela | 1940-04-19 | Hunger strike | Officer Commanding of allIRA forces in England | ||
| Walter Kraemer | 1941-11-16 | Murder | Politician of theKPD and member of the resistance againstNazism | Became known as the "Doctor of Buchenwald" for medically helping other prisoners. | |
| Daniil Kharms | 1942-02-02 | Starvation | Avant-gardist andabsurdist poet, writer and dramatist | Arrested as a member of "a group of anti-Soviet children's writers". He was later exonerated in 1960. | |
| Heinz Hitler | 1942-02-21 | Unknown | Half-nephew ofAdolf Hitler and half-brother ofWilliam Stuart-Houston | Died at the age of 21 in theButyrka prison inMoscow. | |
| Prince Amedeo, Duke of Aosta | 1942-03-03 | Tuberculosis,malaria | Duke of Aosta,Viceroy ofItalian East Africa | ||
| Miguel Hernández | 1942-03-28 | Tuberculosis | Poet and playwright | ||
| Ernst Heilborn | 1942-05-16 | Unknown | Writer,critic and journalist | ||
| Francesco Fantin | 1942-11-16 | Injuries caused by the attack of another inmate | Anti-fascist activist | Detained inLoveday Camp 14 because he was mistaken for a fascist. | |
| Jan Ankerman | 1942-12-27 | Unknown | Field hockey player, won the Silver medal at the1928 Summer Olympics | ||
| Nikolai Vavilov | 1943-01-26 | Malnutrition | Russianbotanist andgeneticist who was imprisoned for his attempts to opposepseudoscience | ||
| Yakov Dzhugashvili | 1943-04-14 | Unknown | Eldest son ofJoseph Stalin | Died atSachsenhausen concentration camp, Stalin refused a prisoner exchange between him andHeinz Hitler. | |
| Ru van der Haar | 1943-05-15 | Unknown | Field hockey player, won the Bronze medal at the1936 Summer Olympics | ||
| Henri Baaij | 1943-05-31 | Unknown | Footballer | ||
| Hans Fokker | 1943-07-02 | Tropical disease | Sailor, participant in the1928 Summer Olympics | ||
| Vito Cascio Ferro | 1943-09-20 | Natural causes or bombing of his prison | Mafioso of theSicilian Mafia | ||
| Albert Love | 1943-11-08 | Unknown | Welshboxer, competed forEngland in the1930 British Empire Games | ||
| Umberto di Giorgio | 1943-11-30 | Heart attack | Lieutenant general, in charge of the territorial defense of Rome | ||
| Kasturba Gandhi | 1944-02-22 | Natural causes | Indian political activist and the wife ofMahatma Gandhi | Imprisoned in a detention camp in Pune for protesting and participating in theQuit India Movement. | |
| Armellini Chiappi | 1944-11-04 | Illness | Lieutenant general, in charge of the territorial defense of Florence | ||
| Ralph Shields | 1944-11-21 | Malnutrition,beriberi | Footballer | ||
| Rodolfo Torresan | 1944-11-22 | Illness | Major general, served in four wars | ||
| Johannes van der Vegte | 1945-03-15 | Unknown | Rower, participant in the1920 Summer Olympics | ||
| Ettore Deltetto | 1945-04-18 | Gastrointestinal perforation | Major general | Was sentenced to 20 years for "abandonment of command" on 24 December 1944. The sentenced was overturned two years later. | |
| Viktors Eglītis | 1945-04-20 | Unknown | Leading figure in the Latviandecadent movement and an introducer ofmodernist poetics | Accused of being afascist collaborator during the Soviet era.[3] | |
| August Kop | 1945-04-30 | Unknown | Field hockey player, won the Silver medal at the1928 Summer Olympics | ||
| Frederik Lamp | 1945-05-27 | Unknown | Sprinter, participant in the1924 Summer Olympics | ||
| Emil Hácha | 1945-06-27 | Unknown | 3rd President ofCzechoslovakia, later of theProtectorate Bohemia and Moravia | ||
| Robert A. Jaffray | 1945-07-29 | Malnutrition, illness | EvangelicalMissionary inChina andIndonesia | ||
| Robert Ley | 1945-10-25 | Suicide by hanging | Nazi war criminal | ||
| Damase Pierre-Louis | 1945 | Unknown | Historian, author, diplomat | ||
| Tito Agosti | 1946-01-27 | Suicide | Major general, served in four wars | ||
| Seán McCaughey | 1946-05-11 | Hunger strike | Officer Commanding of theIRANorthern Command | ||
| Hermann Göring | 1946-10-15 | Suicide by poison | Nazi war criminal | ||
| Ioannis Rallis | 1946-10-26 | Natural causes | Prime Minister of Greece during theAxis occupation | ||
| Victor Lustig | 1947-03-11 | Pneumonia | Con artist, sold theEiffel Tower | ||
| Giovanni Battista Caneva | 1947-02-12 | Injuries caused by his detainees | federal secretary of theRepublican Fascist Party, head of theprovince of Reggio Emilia | ||
| Walter Nicolai | 1947-05-04 | Heart attack | Head ofAbteilung III b inWorld War I | ||
| Frits Clausen | 1947-12-05 | Heart attack | Leader of theDNSAP | ||
| Raoul Wallenberg | 1947 or later | Unknown (debated) | Diplomat, rescued Jews during theHolocaust | Extrajudicial punishment in SovietLefortovo prison | |
| Georgios Tsolakoglou | 1948-05-22 | Leukemia | Prime Minister of Greece during theAxis occupation |
| Name | Date of death | Nationality | Cause of death | Known for | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nepomuceno Matallana | 1960-01-24 | Bronchitis withheart failure | Murderer and suspected serial killer | ||
| Pavel Peter Gojdič | 1960-07-17 | Terminal cancer | Eparch of theSlovak Greek CatholicEparchy of Prešov | Imprisoned by the StB because the Communist government outlawed the Greek Catholic Church. He was later beatified in 2001 and recognised asRighteous Among the Nations in 2007. | |
| Ajax Delgado | 1960-09-05 | Murder | Coffee grower, political activist | ||
| Guido Zingerle | 1962-08-09 | Liver cancer | Serial killer andrapist, "The Monster ofTyrol" | ||
| Robert Stroud | 1963-11-21 | Natural causes | The Birdman of Alcatraz | ||
| Fabricio Ojeda | 1966-06-21 | Suicide by hanging | Guerrilla leader, politician and journalist | ||
| Jack Ruby | 1967-01-03 | Pulmonary embolism | American nightclub owner | MurderedLee Harvey Oswald. | |
| Ilse Koch | 1967-09-01 | Suicide by hanging | Wife of the Commandant ofBuchenwald concentration camp | ||
| Vito Genovese | 1969-02-14 | Heart attack | Italian-Americanmobster, leader of theGenovese crime family | ||
| Bonifacio Ondó Edú | 1969-03-05 | Official version: suicide | FormerPrime Minister of Spanish Guinea | According to one account, Ondó Edú was tortured inBlack Beach prison for ten days by Mariano Mdemendongo, a member of the national guard, before finally being executed. | |
| Don Drummond | 1969-05-06 | Official version: natural causes | Skatrombonist, composer | Convicted of murdering his loverAnita Mahfood, the official cause of death is disputed[4] | |
| Liu Shaoqi | 1969-11-12 | Pneumonia / unknown illness | FormerChairman of the People's Republic of China | Died of mistreatment as a result of political persecution during theCultural Revolution |
| Name | Date of death | Nationality | Cause of Death | Known for | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Josef Bachmann | 1970-02-24 | Suicide | Attempt to assassinateAPO student leaderRudi Dutschke | ||
| Mahmud al-Muntasir | 1970-09-28 | Unknown | 1stPrime Minister of Libya | ||
| Leopold Takawira | 1970 | Neglect of hisdiabetes by the prison authorities | Vice-president of theZimbabwe African National Union | ||
| George Jackson | 1971-08-21 | Shot to death during an escape attempt | Co-founder of theBlack Guerrilla Family and one of theSoledad Brothers | ||
| Mack Ray Edwards | 1971-10-30 | Suicide by hanging | Child molester and serial killer | ||
| Franco Serantini | 1972-05-07 | Coma | Anarchist | ||
| Pedro Luis Boitel | 1972-05-25 | Hunger strike | Poet anddissident | ||
| Lee Roy Martin | 1972-05-31 | Stabbed by fellow inmate | Serial killer | ||
| Yuri Galanskov | 1972-11-04 | Death from an operation by a former doctor (another inmate) without surgical qualifications | Russian poet, historian, and human rights activist, imprisoned for his writings | ||
| Yoro Diakité | 1973-06-13 | Unknown | Prime Minister of Mali, Head of the Provisional Government, firstVice President of Mali | ||
| Albert DeSalvo | 1973-11-25 | Murder | The Boston Strangler | ||
| Michael Gaughan | 1974-06-03 | Hunger strike | Member of theOfficial Irish Republican Army | ||
| Holger Meins | 1974-11-09 | Hunger strike | Member of theRed Army Faction | ||
| Charles Schmid | 1975-03-30 | Stabbed by two fellow inmates | Serial killer | ||
| Siegfried Hausner | 1975-05-05 | Severe burns untreated in custody | Member of theRed Army Faction | ||
| Katharina Hammerschmidt | 1975-06-29 | Untreated cancer | Member of theRed Army Faction | ||
| Vladimir Herzog | 1975-10-25 | Suicide by hanging | Journalist, university professor and playwright | According to opposition, he was murdered by theDOI-CODI officers | |
| Frank Stagg | 1976-02-12 | Hunger strike | Volunteer in theProvisional Irish Republican Army | ||
| Ulrike Meinhof | 1976-05-09 | Suicide by hanging | Founding member of theRed Army Faction | ||
| Alioune Dramé | 1977-03-01 | Unknown | Economist and politician, ambassador toIvory Coast | ||
| Claudio Camaso | 1977-09-16 | Suicide by hanging | Actor, brother ofGian Maria Volonté | Imprisoned for the murder of Vincenzo Mazza. | |
| Steve Biko | 1977-10-18 | Bludgeoned to death by South African police[5] | South African anti-Apartheid activist | Forty-sixth political detainee to die during interrogation since the government introduced laws permitting imprisonment without trial in 1963. | |
| Andreas Baader | 1977-10-18 | Suicide by shooting | Leader of theRed Army Faction | ||
| Gudrun Ensslin | 1977-10-18 | Suicide by hanging | Founding member of theRed Army Faction | ||
| Jan-Carl Raspe | 1977-10-18 | Suicide by shooting | Member of theRed Army Faction | ||
| Ingrid Schubert | 1977-11-12 | Suicide by hanging | Member of theRed Army Faction | ||
| Joseph Kotalla | 1979-07-31 | Natural causes | SS soldier, head of the administration ofKamp Amersfoortconcentration camp | ||
| Haregot Abbai | 1979 | Murder | Businessman, politician |
| Name | Date of death | Nationality | Cause of death | Known for | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pat Hare | 1980-09-26 | Lung cancer | Americanelectric blues guitarist and singer | ||
| Richard Chase | 1980-12-26 | Suicide | Serial killer, cannibal and necrophile; also known as "The Vampire of Sacramento" | ||
| James Mitose | 1981-03-26 | Diabetes | Martial artist, brought the art ofKenpo to the United States | ||
| Thor Christiansen | 1981-03-30 | Stabbed by an unknown killer | Serial killer andnecrophile | ||
| Sigurd Debus | 1981-04-16 | Hunger strike | Alleged member of theRed Army Faction | ||
| Bobby Sands | 1981-05-05 | Hunger strike | Irish republican, member of theProvisional Irish Republican Army | Died along with 9 other Republicans on hunger strike. See1981 Irish Hunger Strike | |
| Francis Hughes | 1981-05-12 | Hunger strike | Volunteer in theProvisional Irish Republican Army | Died along with 9 other Republicans on hunger strike. See1981 Irish Hunger Strike | |
| Raymond McCreesh | 1981-05-21 | Hunger strike | Volunteer in theSouth Armagh Brigade of theProvisional Irish Republican Army | Died along with 9 other Republicans on hunger strike. See1981 Irish Hunger Strike | |
| Patsy O'Hara | 1981-05-21 | Hunger strike | Member of theIrish National Liberation Army | Died along with 9 other Republicans on hunger strike. See1981 Irish Hunger Strike | |
| Joe McDonnell | 1981-07-08 | Hunger strike | Volunteer in theProvisional Irish Republican Army | Died along with 9 other Republicans on hunger strike. See1981 Irish Hunger Strike | |
| Martin Hurson | 1981-07-13 | Hunger strike | Volunteer in theEast Tyrone Brigade of theProvisional Irish Republican Army | Died along with 9 other Republicans on hunger strike. See1981 Irish Hunger Strike | |
| Kevin Lynch | 1981-08-01 | Hunger strike | Member of theIrish National Liberation Army | Died along with 9 other Republicans on hunger strike. See1981 Irish Hunger Strike | |
| Kieran Doherty | 1981-08-02 | Hunger strike | Volunteer in theBelfast Brigade of theProvisional Irish Republican Army | Died along with 9 other Republicans on hunger strike. See1981 Irish Hunger Strike | |
| Thomas McElwee | 1981-08-08 | Hunger strike | Volunteer in theProvisional Irish Republican Army | Died along with 9 other Republicans on hunger strike. See1981 Irish Hunger Strike | |
| Ervil LeBaron | 1981-08-15 | Natural causes | AmericanMormon fundamentalist | ||
| Michael Devine | 1981-08-20 | Hunger strike | Volunteer in theIrish National Liberation Army | Died along with 9 other Republicans on hunger strike. See1981 Irish Hunger Strike | |
| Umar Muhayshi | c. January 1984 | Torture | Army officer and member of theLibyan Revolutionary Command Council | ||
| Michele Sindona | 1986-03-22 | Cyanide poisoning (likely suicide) | Banker for theSicilian Mafia and theVatican | ||
| Odysseas Angelis | 1987-03-22 | Suicide | Military officer, Chief of theHellenic Armed Forces,Vice President of Greece | ||
| Tsai Chen-chou | 1987-05-14 | Liver disease | Politician and businessman | ||
| Rudolf Hess | 1987-08-14 | Suicide | Nazi war criminal | Was the sole inmate inSpandau Prison from 1966 until his death. The prison was demolished afterwards. | |
| Roberto Succo | 1988-05-23 | Suicide by suffocating | Serial killer | ||
| Roy Buchanan | 1988-08-01 | Suicide by hanging | American guitarist | His death is still the subject of fierce debate. | |
| Abdulwahid AlAbduljabbar | 1989 | Severehemorrhage caused by torture | Political activist |
| Name | Date of death | Nationality | Cause of death | Known for | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Tan Teow | 1990-05-08 | Suicide by pill overdose | Convicted murderer and former actor | Died in a solitary confinement cell atChangi Prison's death row section. Found guilty in 1985 of murdering a landlady and her two children, and sentenced to hang. His accomplice Lim Beng Hai, also on death row, was put to death five months later on 5 October 1990 | |
| Graham Young | 1990-08-01 | Heart attack | Poisoner | Died inParkhurst prison. Heart attack is the official cause of death, but there has been speculation that other prisoners may have been responsible.[citation needed] | |
| Klaus Barbie | 1991-09-25 | Leukemia | Nazi war criminal | ||
| Richard Speck | 1991-12-05 | Heart attack | American mass murderer | ||
| Robert Berdella | 1992-10-08 | Heart attack | Serial killer | ||
| Orton Chirwa | 1992-10-20 | Unknown | Lawyer and political leader | ||
| Robert Biehler | 1993-01-10 | Cancer | Serial killer | ||
| Jeffrey Feltner | 1993-03-17 | AIDS | Serial killer | ||
| Kurt-Werner Wichmann | 1993-04-25 | Suicide by hanging | Serial killer | He hanged himself only 10 days after his arrest. The Netflix miniseriesDig Deeper: The Disappearance of Birgit Meier concentrates on his case. | |
| Walter Breen | 1993-04-27 | Cancer | American child molester | ||
| Garry David | 1993-07-11 | Died from wounds caused by self-mutilation | Robbery and attempted murder | ||
| Liow Han Heng | 1993-08-10 | Heart attack | Convicted murderer and former goldsmith shop worker | Died in a solitary confinement cell atChangi Prison's death row section. Found guilty in 1992 of kidnapping and murdering his former employer, and sentenced to hang. His accomplice Ibrahim Masod, also on death row, was put to death 11 months later on 29 July 1994 | |
| Joe "Pegleg" Morgan | 1993-11-08 | Liver cancer | Mexican Mafia leader | ||
| Luciano Leggio | 1993-11-15 | Heart attack | Mafioso, head of theCorleonesi | Succeeded bySalvatore Riina | |
| Jack Unterweger | 1994-06-29 | Suicide | Serial killer with estimated 12-15 victims[6][7][8] | ||
| Michele Zaza | 1994-07-18 | Heart attack | Mafioso, head of theCamorra clan | Succeeded by his nephewCiro Mazzarella. | |
| Daniel Camargo Barbosa | 1994-11-13 | Stabbed to death by Geovanny Noguera, a nephew of one of his victims[9] | Serial killer and rapist | ||
| Jeffrey Dahmer | 1994-11-28 | Beaten to death by fellow inmateChristopher Scarver[10] | American serial killer and cannibal | ||
| Jesse Anderson | 1994-11-30 | Beaten to death by fellow inmateChristopher Scarver[10] | American murderer | ||
| Fred West | 1995-01-01 | Suicide by hanging[11] | Multiple murders; was on remand awaiting trial | ||
| Michael Lupo | 1995-02-12 | AIDS | Serial killer | ||
| Edwin Kaprat | 1995-04-19 | Stabbed by two inmates | Serial killer | ||
| Sadibou Hydara | 1995-06-06 | Murder | Military and political leader | ||
| Kenneth Michael Trentadue | 1995-08-21 | Suicide by hanging | Arrested during the investigation of theOklahoma City bombing | Trentadue's family maintains that he was murdered by members of theFBI | |
| Ronald Kray | 1995-09-07 | Heart attack | Britishgangster and murderer, twin brother ofReginald Kray | ||
| Robert Wayne Danielson | 1995-09-07 | Suicide by hanging | Serial killer | ||
| Gerard John Schaefer | 1995-12-03 | Stabbed to death | American murderer | ||
| Alfons Noviks | 1996-03-12 | Unknown | Politician | Charged with a life sentence for signing orders for theSoviet deportations from Latvia | |
| Ottis Toole | 1996-09-15 | Cirrhosis | Serial killer | ||
| Giuseppe Giacomo Gambino | 1996-11-30 | Suicide | Mafioso, deputy ofTotò Riina | ||
| James Earl Ray | 1998-04-23 | Hepatitis C | Convicted forassassination of Martin Luther King Jr. Joseph Glenn Smothers | Murdered by two inmates, aged 30s. Was taken toAlabama for funeral. | |
| Moshood Abiola | 1998-07-07 | Heart attack | Honorary supreme military commander of theOyo Empire | His death is disputed, with some believing he was poisoned or beaten to death. | |
| Kaya | 1999-02-21 | Unknown | Musician, creator ofSeggae | Arrested for smokingmarijuana during one of his concerts | |
| Aleksandr Komin | 1999-06-15 | Suicide by cutting | Enslaver, serial killer | Kept six people as prisoners in a 9-meter-deep bunker under his garage and killed four of them. | |
| Saeed Emami | 1999-06-19 | Suicide | Deputy minister of intelligence underAli Fallahian | His death was officially ruled as a suicide, although this is disputed by Iranian dissidents who believe he was murdered in order to prevent him leaking sensitive information.[12] | |
| Georgios Papadopoulos | 1999-06-27 | ALS,bladder cancer | Military dictator of theGreek junta | ||
| Frank Valdes | 1999-07-17 | Beaten to death by correctional officers | Murderer | ||
| Salvatore Greco | 1999 | Cancer | Mafioso, brother ofMichele Greco |
| Name | Date of death | Nationality | Cause of death | Known for | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harry Riccobene | 2000-06-19 | Sepsis | Mobster of thePhiladelphia crime family | ||
| Oleg Kuznetsov | 2000-08-04 | Heart failure | Serial killer,rapist | Killed 10 girls and women between 1991 and 1992. | |
| Ruslan Alikhadzhiyev | 2000 | Torture or heart attack | Parliamentary speaker ofChechenia | Disappeared in 2000, his death was reported as a prison death byChechenpress andAFP; theFSB denied that | |
| Byron De La Beckwith | 2001-01-21 | Heart attack[13] | Americanwhite supremacist | Klansman fromGreenwood, Mississippi whoassassinatedcivil rights leaderMedgar Evers on June 12, 1963. | |
| Henry Lee Lucas | 2001-03-12 | Heart failure | "The Confession Killer" | ||
| Shankar Suppiahmaniam | 2001-08-10 | Murdered by his fellow cellmateKanesan Ratnam, who was latersentenced to death for murdering him | Charged with raping and abducting two young girls, and also his murder | Scheduled to stand trial on 13 August 2001, but died three days before the trial was to begin | |
| Thomas Schleicher | 2001-11-02 | Suicide | Judoka and participant of the1996 Summer Olympics | Convicted for drug trafficking | |
| Evison Matafale | 2001-11-27 | Pneumonia | Reggae musician | ||
| Iván Urdinola Grajales | 2002-02-02 | Heart attack | leader of theNorte del Valle Cartel, "El enano" | ||
| John Gotti | 2002-06-10 | Throat cancer | American mafia boss | ||
| Turpal-Ali Atgeriyev | 2002-08-18 | Official version: inner bleedings caused byleukemia | National security minister ofChechnya | His relatives claimed he wastortured to death.[14] | |
| Myra Hindley | 2002-11-15 | Died in hospital after heart attack in prison | British serial killer | ||
| Habibullah | 2002-12-04 | Pulmonary embolism due toblunt force injury to the legs[15] | Mullah, brother of aTaliban leader | His death was initially attributed to "natural causes" by the military. The autopsy later classified Habibullah's death ashomicide.[16] | |
| Dilawar | 2002-12-10 | "Blunt-force injuries to lower extremities complicatingcoronary artery disease" caused fromtorture | Farmer and taxi driver | The documentary filmTaxi to the Dark Side (2007) focuses on his death. | |
| Salman Raduyev | 2002-12-14 | Official version: "Serious and protracted diseases" | Chechen military commander, responsible for theKizlyar hostage taking raid | His family and others claim that he was murdered by the authorities in prison. | |
| Fesshaye Yohannes | 2002-2007 | Unknown | Journalist | ||
| John Geoghan | 2003-08-23 | Murdered by fellow inmateJoseph Druce | Catholic priest and child molester | ||
| Hassan Evan Naseem | 2003-09-19 | Beaten to death by theNSS personnel during a riot | His death lead to the2003 Maldives civil unrest | ||
| Md. Yakub Ali | 2003-10-17 | Unknown[17] | Bangladesh Nationalist Party activist | ||
| Jahangir Hossain | Unknown[17] | Bangladesh Nationalist Party activist | |||
| Manadel al-Jamadi | 2003-11-04 | Died fromtorture during aCIAinterrogation | Suspect ina bomb attack, also known as "The Iceman", "Mr. Frosty" and "Bernie" | His death was a trigger of the 2003-2004Abu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuse scandal | |
| Abed Hamed Mowhoush | 2003-11-26 | Died fromtorture during aCIAinterrogation | Air vice-marshal of theIraqi Air Force | His death was initially attributed to "natural causes" by the CIA. After theAbu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuse scandal erupted, the Pentagon acknowledged that the cause of death was "asphyxia due to smothering and chest compression", and that his body showed "evidence of blunt forcetrauma to the chest and legs".[18] | |
| Harold Shipman | 2004-01-13 | Suicide by hanging | Britishdoctor who killed many of his patients | ||
| Abu Abbas | 2004-03-08 | Natural causes | Terrorist | ||
| Gaetano Badalamenti | 2004-04-29 | Heart failure | Mafioso, head of theSicilian Mafia Commission, leader in the "Pizza Connection" | ||
| Clayton Fountain | 2004-07-12 | Natural causes | Member of theAryan Brotherhood | ||
| Victor Kaliadin | 2004-09-16 | Heart attack | CEO of the company Elers Electron | ||
| John Wayne Glover | 2005-09-09 | Suicide by hanging[19] | Sydney Granny Murderer | ||
| Vincent Gigante | 2005-12-19 | Oxygen deprivation | American Mafia boss | Boss ofGenovese crime family | |
| Stuart Alexander | 2005-12-27 | Pulmonary embolism | Businessman and murderer | Also known as "The Sausage King" because he was recognized and renowned for makinglinguiça sausage. | |
| Slobodan Milošević | 2006-03-11 | Heart attack | Serbian and Yugoslav president | ||
| Domenico Libri | 2006-05-01 | Unknown | Member of the'Ndrangheta | ||
| Andrew Martinez | 2006-05-18 | Suicide | Nude activist | ||
| Samuel Bowers | 2006-05-18 | Cardiopulmonary arrest | American white supremacist | Co-founded the White Knights of theKu Klux Klan and convicted of bombing death of civil rights leaderVernon Dahmer. | |
| Ogulsapar Muradova | August/September 2006 | Official version: Natural causes | Human rights activist, journalist | The official cause of death is disputed by her children.[20] | |
| Ron Porambo | 2006-10-22 | Choking on an orange | Journalist who covered the1967 Newark riots | Charged with 30 years forfelony murder, conspiracy to commit robbery, two counts of armed robbery, burglary, and possession of a firearm for an unlawful purpose. | |
| Samuel Hinga Norman | 2007-02-22 | Natural causes | Founder and leader of theCivil Defence Forces | ||
| Charles Harrelson | 2007-03-15 | Heart attack | Hitman, convicted of murdering U.S. Federal judgeJohn H. Wood Jr. | Father of actorWoody Harrelson. | |
| David Lane | 2007-03-28 | Epilepsy | American white nationalist | ||
| Stanley Rice | 2007-11-03 | Natural causes | Serial killer, sex offender | ||
| Sergei Ryakhovsky | 2007-11-12 | Tuberculosis | Serial killer | ||
| John Straffen | 2007-11-19 | Natural causes | British serial killer | Longest-serving prisoner in British legal history, was in prison for 55 years until his death | |
| Ryan Gracie | 2007-12-15 | Died as a result of brain injury | Brazilian mixed martial artist | ||
| Michele Greco | 2008-02-13 | Lung cancer | Mafioso, head of theSicilian Mafia Commission | ||
| Germano Nati | 2008-03-17 | Bladder and kidney infections[21] | Politician of theEPLF | ||
| Vlado Taneski | 2008-06-23 | Suicide by drowning in a plastic bucket of water | Serial killer | ||
| Dinko Šakić | 2008-07-20 | Heart problems | Commander of theJasenovac concentration camp | ||
| Johnny "J" | 2008-10-03 | Suicide | Songwriter,music producer andrapper | Charged with driving while intoxicated | |
| Arthur Shawcross | 2008-11-10 | Cardiac arrest | Serial killer | ||
| Son Jong-nam | 2008-12-07 | Unknown (probably torture) | North Korean defector andChristian missionary | ||
| Antonie Dixon | 2009-02-04 | Suicide | New Zealand thief and murderer | ||
| Omid Reza Mir Sayafi | 2009-03-18 | Unknown | Blogger and journalist | Arrested for allegedly insulting religious leaders and engaging in propaganda against the Islamic Republic of Iran. | |
| Maxim Bazylev | 2009-03-27 | Suicide by cutting the veins on his forearms and neck | Russian nationalist, last leader of theNSO | ||
| Toi Aukuso Cain | 2009-04-18 | Liver cancer | Politician | Arrested for the murder ofLuagalau Leva'ula Kamu | |
| Ibn al-Shaykh al-Libi | 2009-05-10 | Torture | Leader of the Khalden training camp | His death was officially ruled as suicide by hanging. | |
| Fathi Eljahmi | 2009-05-21 | Unknown | Politicdissident | ||
| Christopher Lunz | 2009-09-22 | Suicide | Serial killer | ||
| Susan Atkins | 2009-09-24 | Brain tumor | Member of theManson family | ||
| John Evander Couey | 2009-09-30 | Cancer | Sex offender convicted of murderingJessica Lunsford | ||
| Sergei Magnitsky | 2009-11-16 | Closed cerebral cranial injury | Russian tax accountant who specialized in anti-corruption activities | Magnitsky alleged there had been large-scale theft from the Russian state, sanctioned and carried out by Russian officials. He was arrested and eventually died in prison. The documentaryThe Magnitsky Act – Behind the Scenes concentrates on his case. |
| Name | Date of death | Nationality | Cause of death | Known for | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orlando Zapata | 2010-02-23 | Hunger strike | Political activist | ||
| Carlo Cicuttini | 2010-02-24 | Lung cancer | Neofascist terrorist | ||
| Germain Cyrille Ngota Ngota | 2010-04-22 | HIV | Editor for theCameroun Express | Charged with falsifying a government document, the first journalist to die in the line of duty in Cameroon since 1992 | |
| Sipho Jele | 2010-05-04 | Suicide by hanging | Member of the banned partyPeople's United Democratic Movement | ||
| Wallace Souza | 2010-07-27 | Heart attack due toBudd–Chiari syndrome | Television presenter andpolitician | ||
| Philip Markoff | 2010-08-15 | Suicide | American murderer | Known as the "Craigslist killer" | |
| Dimitrios Ioannidis | 2010-08-16 | Respiratory problems | Military dictator of theGreek junta | ||
| Terry Peder Rasmussen | 2010-12-28 | lung cancer,chronic obstructive pulmonary disease andpneumonia | Serial killer with six known victims.[22] on December 28, 2010.[23][24] | ||
| Edwin Valero | 2010-04-19 | Suicide | Professional boxer | ||
| Carl Williams | 2010-04-19 | Bludgeoned to death | Australian crime boss | Murdered by fellow inmate while serving sentence | |
| Fawza Falih | 2010 | Official version: Choking on her food | Condemned to death for practicingwitchcraft | ||
| Akrom Yoʻldoshev | 2010/11 | Tuberculosis | Founder ofAkromiya | ||
| Colin Hatch | 2011-02-22 | Strangled to death by fellow inmate | Notorious murderer and child molester | ||
| Dorothea Puente | 2011-03-27 | Natural causes | Serial killer | ||
| Lee Bradley Brown | 2011-04-12 | Unknown | Tourist, his cause of death is still disputed | ||
| Edarem | 2012-01-08 | Lung cancer | American Internet personality | ||
| Colin Ireland | 2012-02-21 | Died as a result of hip injury.[25] | British serial killer of gay men | ||
| Miguel Abia Biteo Boricó | 2012-12-06 | Cardiac arrest | FormerPrime Minister of Equatorial Guinea | ||
| Richard Ramirez | 2013-06-07 | Cancer | Americanserial killer | ||
| Tjostolv Moland | 2013-08-18 | Suicide | Sentenced to death for murder, and espionage for Norway | Died inCongolese custody[26] | |
| Anatoly Onoprienko | 2013-08-27 | Heart attack | Serial killer and mass murderer | ||
| Ariel Castro | 2013-09-03 | Suicide or accidental strangulation | Kidnapped and raped three American women for over a decade. | ||
| Heinrich Boere | 2013-12-01 | Natural causes | Nazi war criminal | ||
| John Anthony Walker | 2014-08-28 | Unknown | United States NavyChief Warrant Officer convicted of spying for the Soviet Union from 1968 to 1985 | ||
| Anushervon Rakhmanov | 2015-04-02 | Suicide by hanging | Suspected serial killer | ||
| Sandra Bland | 2015-07-13 | Suicide (allegedly) | American motorist | Arrested for traffic violation on July 10 by State Trooper Brian Encinia. Encinia was indicted for perjury for making false statements about the circumstances of Bland's arrest. Waller County jail failed to follow required policies and procedures. | |
| Manuel Contreras | 2015-08-07 | Unspecified kidney problems[27] | Army officer, former head of theNational Intelligence Directorate | He was serving 59 unappealable sentences totaling 529 years in prison at the time of his death.[28] | |
| Marcelo Moren Brito | 2015-09-11 | Multiple organ failure[29] | RetiredArmy colonel and former agent of theDirección de Inteligencia Nacional | He was sentenced to more than 300 years in prison.[29] | |
| Sarah Reed | 2016-01-11 | Suicide/accidental death | On remand awaiting possible trial pending psychiatric reports | Charged with GBH with intent | |
| Lawrence Phillips | 2016-01-13 | Suicide | American football player | Phillips was facing the death penalty in the alleged murder of his former cellmate in April 2015. | |
| Jacques Bihozagara | 2016-03-30 | Unknown (probablyassassination) | Rwandan ambassador toFrance andBelgium | Arrested on suspicion of espionage, died only minutes after arriving at the prison infirmary.[30][31] | |
| Ahmet Suphi Altindoken | 2016-04-11 | Shot to death by fellow inmate | Murderer and attempted rapist | ||
| Vladimir Dolgopolov | 2016-06-12 | Stroke | Soccer player, won aMaster of Sports of the USSR award | Was found guilty ofnegligent homicide and sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment in January 2016[32][33] | |
| Bernardo Provenzano | 2016-07-13 | Bladder cancer | Mafioso, chief of theCorleonesi | ||
| Lou Pearlman | 2016-08-19 | Cardiac arrest | Manager ofBackstreet Boys and*NSYNC | ||
| Gennadiy Tsypkalov | 2016-09-24 | Unknown (official version: Suicide) | Politician of theLuhansk People's Republic | ||
| Omar Abdel-Rahman | 2017-02-18 | (detained by the | Coronary arterial disease | Terrorist | |
| Lawrence Horn | February 2017 | Unknown | Musician,record producer | Arrested for hiring ahit man to murder his ex-wife, Mildred Horn, their disabled son Trevor, and nurse Janice Saunders. | |
| Donald Harvey | 2017-03-30 | Killed by fellow inmate | Serial killer | ||
| Aaron Hernandez | 2017-04-19 | Suicide | Former tight-end forNFL teamNew England Patriots, later convicted of murderingOdin Lloyd | Found not guilty of the 2012 double homicide of Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado just 5 days before he was found dead. | |
| Yip Kai Foon | 2017-04-19 | Lung cancer[34] | Hong Kong armed robber withAK-47 | ||
| Ian Brady | 2017-05-15 | Cancer | British serial killer | ||
| Manuel Noriega | 2017-05-29 | Issues after abrain hemorrhage | Military dictator of Panama 1983-1989 | ||
| Liu Xiaobo | 2017-07-13 | Liver cancer | Prisoner of conscience | Nobel Peace Prize laureate (2010) | |
| Carlos Andrés García | 2017-09-17 | Debated | Politician, councilman at the time of death | García suffered astroke in detention. Security officials reportedly refused to give medical attention to García, ignored the orders to transfer him to a health center and did not give him medicines sent by his relatives.[35][36][37] He was transferred to a hospital days afterwards.[38] | |
| Salvatore Riina | 2017-11-17 | Unknown | Mafioso, chief of theSicilian Mafia | ||
| Charles Manson | 2017-11-19 | Natural causes | Leader of theManson Family | ||
| Nelson Martínez | 2017-12-12 | Health complications[39] | Minister of Petroleum and President ofPetróleos de Venezuela | ||
| Ernst-Dieter Beck | 2018-04-29 | Unknown | Serial killer | He was the first person accused of murder in German legal history, on whom achromosome test was applied.[40] | |
| Dennis Nilsen | 2018-05-12 | Pulmonary embolism | British serial killer | ||
| Brian Lawler | 2018-07-29 | Suicide by hanging[41] | Professional wrestler | ||
| Fernando Albán | 2018-10-08 | Body fell from a tenth-floor of the headquarters of theBolivarian Intelligence Service (SEBIN).[42] Unofficially, Albán died before his fall and the autopsy revealed that water was found in his lungs.[43][44] | Politician, councilman at the time of death | Initially ruled officially as a suicide, a version heavily disputed, authorities later admitted that Albán was killed during his detention.[45] | |
| Whitey Bulger | 2018-10-30 | Killed by prison inmates | American mobster | ||
| Andrew Urdiales | 2018-11-02 | Suicide by hanging | Serial killer | ||
| Serhiy Tkach | 2018-11-04 | Heart failure | Serial killer | ||
| Carmine Persico | 2019-03-07 | Natural causes | Boss of theColombo crime family | ||
| Mohamed Morsi | 2019-06-17 | Egyptian state television announced on 17 June 2019 that Mohamed Morsi had collapsed during a court hearing on espionage charges at Cairo'sTora prison complex, and later died suddenly, reportedly of aheart attack.[46][47][48][49] | Former President of Egypt | ||
| Rafael Acosta Arévalo | 2019-06-29 | Widespreadpolytrauma, torture[50][51][52] | Military officer with the rank ofcorvette captain | Died shortly after attending to a court hearing, arriving in a wheelchair and with serious indications of torture.[53] | |
| Dawid Kostecki | 2019-08-02 | Suicide by hanging | Light heavyweightboxer | Convicted for drug trafficking, car theft, running a prostitution escort ring, and income tax evasion. | |
| Jeffrey Epstein | 2019-08-10 | Suicide | American financier and convicted sex offender | Death of Jeffrey Epstein | |
| Richard Huckle | 2019-10-13 | Stabbed to death | British serial sex offender and paedophile | ||
| Anthony McKnight | 2019-10-17 | Unknown[54] | Serial killer and rapist | ||
| Ivan Milat | 2019-10-27 | Natural causes | Serial killer | ||
| Lawrence Bittaker | 2019-12-13 | Natural causes | Serial killer and rapist, one of the "Tool Box Killers" | ||
| Phillip Carl Jablonski | 2019-12-27 | Unknown[55] | Serial killer |
| Name | Date of death | Nationality | Cause of death | Known for | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roy Norris | 2020-02-24 | Natural causes | Serial killer and rapist, one of the "Tool Box Killers" | ||
| Lonnie David Franklin Jr. | 2020-03-28 | Unknown | Serial killer, better known as the "Grim Sleeper" | ||
| Shady Habash | 2020-05-01 | Alcohol poisoning | Filmmaker | Was imprisoned without trial for making amusic video for the exiled Egyptian rock musicianRamy Essam, that mocked Egyptian PresidentAbdel Fattah el-Sisi.[56] | |
| Carlos Ernesto Escobar Mejía | 2020-05-06 | COVID-19 | The firstimmigrant to die fromCOVID-19 in the custody ofU.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement | ||
| David Owen Brooks | 2020-05-28 | COVID-19 | Murderer | ||
| Eddie Mosley | 2020-05-28 | COVID-19 | Serial killer and rapist | ||
| Rocky Beamon | 2020-06-10 | Suicide | Murderer | ||
| Mário Calixto Filho | 2020-06-17 | COVID-19 | Politician, journalist and businessman | Convicted ofgovernment procurement fraud[57] | |
| Manuel Machado Alvarez | 2020-07-03 | COVID-19 | Murderer | ||
| Scott Erskine | 2020-07-03 | COVID-19 | Serial killer andrapist | ||
| Mahendra Yadav | 2020-07-05 | COVID-19 | Politician | ||
| Andrey Yezhov | 2020-07-06 | Suicide by hanging | Serial killer andrapist | ||
| Chua Ser Lien | 2020-07-08 | Suicide | Former cleaning company director and convicted kidnapper | Sentenced tolife imprisonment andthree strokes of the cane in 2004. Suffered frombipolar disorder, which worsened during his final years before he died. Found eligible for parole in 2023 | |
| Nelson Meurer | 2020-07-12 | COVID-19 | Politician, mayor ofFrancisco Beltrão | Convicted on corruption andmoney laundering charges | |
| Moussa Benhamadi | 2020-07-17 | COVID-19 | Politician and researcher | ||
| David Romero Ellner | 2020-07-18 | COVID-19 | Journalist and lawyer,Liberal partycongressman and former mayor of Tegucigalpa | ||
| Jaybee Sebastian | 2020-07-18 | COVID-19 | Kidnapper andcarjacker | ||
| Jorge Villavicencio | 2020-07-20 | COVID-19 | Former GuatemalanMinister ofPublic Health and Social Assistance | Was arrested overcorruption accusations.[58] | |
| Azimzhan Askarov | 2020-07-25 | Pneumonia | Human rights activist, investigator ofpolice brutality | Arrested and prosecuted on charges of creating mass disturbances,incitement of ethnic hatred, and complicity in murder. | |
| Essam el-Erian | 2020-08-13 | COVID-19 | Vice Chairman of theFreedom and Justice Party | Arrested during the2011 Egyptian revolution | |
| Édouard Karemera | 2020-08-31 | COVID-19 | Politician convicted ofgenocide | ||
| Maxim Martsinkevich | 2020-09-16 | Official version: Suicide | Neo-Nazi activist andvlogger | ||
| Horst David | 2020-11-08 | Unknown | Serial killer | The investigation of his murder of the prostitute Fatima Grossart is considered a milestone in German criminal history because it was the first time that a crime that had occurred almost 20 years ago could be solved with the help of theautomated fingerprint identification system. | |
| Peter Sutcliffe | 2020-11-13 | Complications from diabetes, hypertension and COVID-19 infection | Serial killer | ||
| Anthony Hardy | 2020-11-25 | COVID-19 | Serial killer, the "Camden Ripper" | ||
| Anthony Casso | 2020-12-15 | COVID-19 | Underboss of theLucchese crime family | ||
| Donato Bilancia | 2020-12-17 | COVID-19 | Serial killer | ||
| Romell Broom | 2020-12-28 | COVID-19 | Murder of Tryna Middleton.[59] | ||
| Sofia Zhukova | 2020-12-29 | COVID-19 | Serial killer | Being 80 years old at the time of her last murder, she was the oldest serial killer in the history of Russia and theSoviet Union. | |
| Salvador Franco | 2021-01-03 | Tuberculosis andmalnourishment.[60] | Pemon political prisoner | Franco hadCOVID-19 and that for months suffered from gastrointestinal diseases related to the insalubrity of his penitentiary center, losing a large amount of weight in detention. There was a court order for his transfer to a health center, but it was ultimately ignored.[61][62] | |
| Phil Spector | 2021-01-16 | Complications fromCOVID-19 | American music producer | Was convicted of the2003 murder of actressLana Clarkson and was serving a 19 years to life prison sentence at the time of his death. | |
| Nathaniel Burkett | 2021-01-19 | COVID-19 | Serial killer | ||
| Daniela Figueredo | 2021-03-13 | Gunshot | Young detainee | Shot in the face by a police officer and killed at the age of nineteen.[63][64] Human rights activists declared that the incident occurred when the officer tried to sexually abuse her.[65] | |
| Antonio Sanchez | 2021-03-27 | Unknown | Politician,mayor ofCalauan | ||
| Bernie Madoff | 2021-04-14 | Chronic kidney disease[66][67][68][69] | Fraudster | ||
| Vitold Ashurak | 2021-05-21 | Official version:Cardiac arrest | Political and ecological activist | Sentenced to five years for his role in the2020–2021 Belarusian protests, died four months after his imprisonment, the official cause of death is disputed | |
| John McAfee | 2021-06-23 | “Everything points to death by suicide,”[70] according to the Guardian, except a previous statement: 'If I suicide myself, I didn't.'[71] | Founded the software companyMcAfee Associates in 1987. | ||
| Nyan Win | 2021-07-20 | COVID-19 | Member-elect ofPyithu Hluttaw andAung San Suu Kyi's personal attorney | ||
| Yevgen Sotnikov | 2021-08-06 | Murder | Judoka | Imprisoned for killing an 18-year old.[72] | |
| Robert Martin Gumbura | 2021-08-07 | COVID-19 | Pastor | Was convicted with four counts of rape and possession of illegal pornographic material and sentenced to 40 years in prison.[73][74] | |
| Hugo Salas Wenzel | 2021-08-11 | Unknown | General of theChilean Army | Was sentenced to life for human rights violations in the 1980s.[75] | |
| Hissène Habré | 2021-08-24 | COVID-19 | 5thpresident and dictator of Chad | ||
| Abimael Guzmán | 2021-09-11 | Suicide by starvation[76] | Maoist guerrilla leader and terrorist | ||
| Raúl Baduel | 2021-10-12 | Official version:cardiorespiratory arrest caused byCOVID-19 | Venezuelan general and formerdefense minister | The official cause of death is disputed by his family | |
| Gilbert Dragon | 2021-11-17 | COVID-19 | Police chief and commander in theNational Revolutionary Front for the Liberation and Reconstruction of Haiti | ||
| Hamdi Hassan | 2021-11-25 | Unknown[77] | Member of theHouse of Representatives of Egypt and theMuslim Brotherhood | ||
| Stephen Bouquet | 2022-01-05 | COVID-19 | Killed nine cats | ||
| Robert Durst | 2022-01-10 | COVID-19 | Murderer | ||
| Stephen Kovacs | 2022-01-12 | Suicide by hanging | Saberfencer and fencing coach | Charged with multiple counts ofsexual assault, endangering the welfare of a child andfalse swearing. | |
| Hugo Torres Jiménez | 2022-02-11 | Natural causes | Sandinistaguerrilla, brigadier general in theNicaraguan Armed Forces | ||
| Soumeylou Boubèye Maïga | 2022-03-21 | Unknown | FormerPrime Minister andForeign Minister of Mali | ||
| Dmitry Kolker | 2022-07-02 | Unknown | Physicist, head of the Laboratory ofQuantum Optical Technologies ofNovosibirsk State University | Arrested on suspicion ofstate treason in June 2022.[78] | |
| Robert Hanssen | 2023-06-05 | Colon cancer[79] | FBI agent | Charged with selling U.S. intelligence documents to the Soviet Union and Russia over 22 years. | |
| Ted Kaczynski | 2023-06-10 | Suicide by hanging | Eco-terrorist, the "Unabomber" | ||
| Ales Pushkin | 2023-07-11 | Unknown | Artist and painter, awarded with theBelarusian Democratic Republic 100th Jubilee Medal | ||
| Gennady Lopyrev | 2023-08-16 | Official version:Leukemia | Former lieutenant-general in theFSO and overseer of various construction projects, includingPutin's palace atGelendzhik | Imprisoned in theIK-3 prison in 2017 for takingbribes, the official cause of death is disputed[80] | |
| Anthony Sully | 2023-09-08 | Natural causes | Serial killer and police officer | ||
| Doug Clark | 2023-10-11 | Natural causes | Serial killer | ||
| Alejandro Muyshondt | 2024-02-07 | Official version:Pulmonary edema | Politician | The official version is disputed and his family believes that he died from torture.[81] | |
| Alexei Navalny | 2024-02-16 | Official version: Blood clot detachment | Russian opposition politician | Death of Alexei Navalny | |
| Ihar Lednik | 2024-02-20 | Issues after an operation of thegastrointestinal tract | Belarusian opposition activist | Sentenced to three years for the "defamation" of Belarusian PresidentAlexander Lukashenko,[82] in prison he was routinely abused by the jailers[83] | |
| Victor Farrant | 2024-05-03 | Unknown | Murderer and rapist | ||
| Ian Watkins | 2025-10-11 | Stabbed to death | FormerLostprophets singer andchild sex offender | Sentenced in 2013 to 29 years and 6 years on extended licence for multiple child sexual offences; in prison he was regularly attacked by inmates. |
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