State inmate is beaten to death

Pearl, Miss. – (AP)An inmate fatally beat another prisoner at the Central Mississippi Correctional Facility in Pearl, state prison officials said Monday.

Mississippi Department of Corrections Commissioner Christopher Epps said “breaches in security” at the prison allowed 20-year-old Tyler Smith to fatally beat the other inmate, 35-year-old Clifton Majors, about 8 p.m. Sunday.

“We will take the necessary disciplinary action upon completion of our investigation,” Epps said in a statement.

Smith allegedly told investigators that he beat Majors because he feared Majors and others planned to harm him. Prison officials said there was no indication that a weapon was used in the incident.

Smith is serving a two-year sentence for a larceny conviction in Itawamba County. Majors was serving an 18-year sentence for convictions on charges that included burglary and armed robbery.

No charges were immediately filed against Smith in connection with Majors’ death.