Inmate dies 4 months after alleged assault at Windham prison

A man who was incarcerated at Maine Correctional Center has died nearly four months after his family says he was assaulted by his cellmate.

Renaldo Jones, 30, died at 4:42 a.m. Tuesday, the Maine Department of Corrections said. The department notified the Maine Attorney General’s Office and the medical examiner of his death, and the Maine State Police Major Crimes Unit is investigating, all steps outlined in state policies for the death of a person in custody.

But officials have not answered any questions or provided any additional information about what happened to Jones. A spokeswoman for the Department of Corrections would not say Tuesday how or where Jones died. A spokeswoman for the Maine Attorney General’s Office directed questions to the state police.

“We can’t go into the specifics of the investigation, but we will release additional information as soon as it’s appropriate,” said Shannon Moss, a state police spokeswoman. “No charges have been filed at this time.”

Earlier this year, Jones’ family told the Portland Press Herald that he was hospitalized at Maine Medical Center with a traumatic brain injury. His parents and siblings rushed from other states to find their son and brother unresponsive. They shared the few details the family had received from investigators at the time. They said prison staff discovered his injuries around 2 a.m. on Jan. 17. Investigators told the family that Jones had been attacked by the man who shared his cell. They later identified that man to the family but did not immediately file criminal charges.

The family described Jones as a person who would stand up for others, who loved animals and skateboarding and superheroes like Spiderman. They also said Jones struggled with substance use which contributed to periods of incarceration, but he was making plans to start fresh when he got out of the Windham prison next year.

He was serving time on theft charges, and his release date listed on the department website was January 2023.