SCI Phoenix Prisoner Kills His Cellmate: DA

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, PA — An inmate at SCI Phoenix killed his cellmate earlier this month, prison authorities and the Montgomery County District Attorney's office announced on Thursday.

Nathan Blose, 40, has been charged with first degree murder in the killing of Shaun Harden, 45. Blose was serving 3.5 to 7 years for firearms violations, while Harden was serving four to eight years for multiple counts of indecent assault of a child, court documents show.

Court documents and an affidavit of probable cause did not disclose much context or circumstances surrounding the incident, nor did they touch on a motive.

The incident was uncovered at around 5:55 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 1. It occurred during the overnight hours, and surveillance video confirmed that only Blose and Harden were inside the cell from 7:37 p.m. the night before until Harden's body was discovered in the morning, officials said.

An autopsy found injuries to Harden's neck, chest, and back, police said.

Blose was arraigned on Nov. 20 and will remain in custody at SCI Phoenix. A preliminary hearing is set for Dec. 4.