An inmate at an overcrowded Georgia jail killed his cellmate Thursday, marking the second such death at the facility in less than two months, authorities said.
Abdul Hosea Woodward was moved to a cell at the Clayton County Jail that had three inmates and slept on the floor, according to the Clayton County Sheriff’s Office.
Woodward "brutally beat" and killed his cellmate, who has not been publicly identified, the statement said.
“The door closed and when it opened again, Woodard murdered one of his roommates,” according to a statement from the sheriff's office.
The county jail, which has a capacity of 1,536 beds, currently has about 1,900 inmates, officials said.
“The jail is currently overcrowded and has over 300 inmates sleeping on the floor,” the sheriff’s office said. “This causes issues among the inmates. When one inmate uses the toilet and the other inmate’s head is down by the toilet, you will have fights, and when you are in a room where everything in the room is steel, metal, or concrete, it becomes a deadly cage match.”
Woodward was at the jail following an arrest at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Dec. 15 and was accused of baggage removal.
He now could be charged with felony murder, aggravated assault and simple battery, according to the sheriff’s office.
Clayton County Sheriff Levon Allen offered condolences to the victim’s family in the statement.
He stressed that he takes the safety of the inmates and employees in the Jail “very serious and won’t stop until everything in the 24-year-old jail is replaced and brought up to standards.”
In November, an inmate allegedly killed his cellmate with his bare hands “simply because of the color of his skin,” authorities said.