Inmate Killed By Fellow Prisoner In Montgomery County: DA

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, PA — An inmate at SCI Phoenix in Montgomery County killed a fellow prisoner on Sunday morning, officials announced Tuesday afternoon.

Dwight Williams, 42, has been charged with first- and third-degree murder in the death of Ashokkumar Guru, 67. Williams was nearing the end of a two year sentence for cocaine distribution, while Guru was serving a life sentence for murder in Philadelphia, court documents show.

The attack occurred at around 9 a.m. on Aug. 4 in Guru's cell.

Authorities said they used surveillance footage to connect Williams, who was not in his cell at the time of the killing, to the incident.

One inmate also told police he witnessed the attack, during which he saw Williams stomp on Guru's chest, according to a criminal affidavit.

Cameras caught Williams entering Guru's cell at 9:16 a.m. and then exiting at 9:25 a.m. Williams was then spotted returning to his own cell with a "red substance" on his shoes at 9:29 a.m., officials said.

A motivation for the incident is not clear.

Guru was unresponsive when corrections officers found him at 9:31 a.m.

After the incident, Williams handed off a brown paper bag with his shoes inside it to another inmate, in an apparent attempt to dispose of them, authorities said. However, the cell block was locked down when Guru's body was discovered, and the shoes could not be disposed.

Williams will remain in SCI Phoenix while he awaits arraignment. A preliminary hearing is forthcoming.