State Investigating Prison Death In Concord

CONCORD, NH — The New Hampshire Department of Corrections as well as state police are investigating the death of a prisoner at the New Hampshire Prison for Men in Concord, according to officials. Phillip Borcuk, 34, a convicted habitual offender, thief, and assaulter, passed away on Dec. 6, 2017, after being transported to the emergency room at Concord Hospital. Yesterday morning, corrections officers and medical responders attempted “life-saving measures” on Borcuk, who was in the DOC’s residential treatment unit, and reportedly “engaging in self-injurious behavior,” according to Jeffrey Lyons, the department’s public information officer.

“An autopsy has been conducted by the state’s medical examiner and is awaiting toxicology results to determine manner of death,” he noted. “All unanticipated deaths are investigated in consultation with the state’s medical examiners and state police. While the investigation is ongoing, the department will continue to partner with outside parties participating in understanding what resulted in ending Mr. Borcuk’s life.”

The residential treatment unit is designed, according to ManchesterInkLink.com for inmates with mental illness who are unable to function in the general inmate population.

Borcuk was admitted to the prison after being convicted in Sullivan County Superior Court in 2012, on habitual offender, theft by unauthorized taking, and assault by a prisoner. He was eligible for parole in Dec. 5, 2018, with a maximum stay of December 2019. His previous criminal activity also included criminal trespass, resisting arrest, and felon in possession of a deadly weapon, while he was living in Keene, according to reports online.

Image via Tony Schinella, Patch staff.