Inmate dies after incident at prison

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By CORY MATTESON / Lincoln Journal Star

Jasper Falkner ran a left hand over his nephew’s unresponsive right eye and contemplated a life or death decision.

Would he take his nephew, an inmate at the prison in Tecumseh, off life support?

“Pull the plug, probably,” Falkner answered. “I want him to be where he wants. He turned his life over. He believed in God. He made his peace.”

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Reko Mitchell

Reko Mitchell

Reko Mitchell, 38, died hours later, Wednesday night at BryanLGH Medical Center West, according to his family’s attorney, James Martin Davis. He died as a result of an incident in the prison’s gymnasium bathroom that left him with two broken bones in his neck.

The Nebraska State Patrol is investigating. And Johnson County Attorney Julie Smith-Hogancamp said earlier this week she is looking into the matter, though no charges have been filed.

Prison officials would not release the name of the other prisoner believed to be involved, though a spokeswoman has said officials took steps to prevent him from causing further incidents.

Mitchell was 15 years into a 37-year sentence on multiple felony counts out of Douglas and Lancaster counties, including one count of sexual assault, two counts of using a firearm to commit a robbery and four counts of robbery.

Fred Britten, warden at the Tecumseh State Correctional Institution, said a security staff member typically watches the gym, and the incident isn’t going to change how the gym is guarded.

“This was just an isolated incident that occurred,” he said.

He said he believes Mitchell and another inmate were fighting in the gym bathroom at about 1:30 p.m. Sept. 17.

Other inmates were in the gym, but Britten didn’t think there were any witnesses. Mitchell was found on the floor.

The family bristled at the suggestion Mitchell was involved in a fight.

Falkner said his nephew’s face showed no bruises or scratches that would suggest a fight.

“It was a one-sided altercation,” said Davis. “I think the guy grabbed him and snapped his neck in two places.

“They have no evidence whatsoever that it was a fight.”

Family members from Lincoln and Omaha on Wednesday questioned why it took two days to learn Mitchell was hospitalized.

Britten said the person Mitchell listed as his next of kin was dead. Prison staff could only make contact with one family member, who lived out of state. Prison spokeswoman Dawn-Renee Smith said there weren’t any local contacts on Mitchell’s phone list.

Mitchell’s prison chaplain contacted local relatives, said Frances Erwin, Mitchell’s aunt. They’ve been visiting the hospital every day since, she said.

At 3:45 p.m. Wednesday, she and other family members gathered in a conference room with Mitchell’s doctor, where he laid out the patient’s options.

Before that meeting, Falkner said he looked forward to retrieving Mitchell’s writings from prison. Mitchell spent a lot of time writing poetry and letters to his family.

The last one he sent to Helen Martin, an aunt, described how he had been saved and turned his life over to God. Martin said he took a greater interest in finding religion a little more than a year ago, when he had to make the decision to take his mother off life support.

“He seemed like he really changed.”

Reach Cory Matteson at (402) 473-2655 or cmatteson@journalstar.com.