List of prison deaths

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Template:Short description Template:More citations needed This is a list of notable people who have died in prison, whether in prison or in hospital while still serving a prison sentence. This list does not include inmates who were executed as punishment for their crimes.

Pre-11th century

Name Date of death Nationality Cause of death Known for Comments
Rim-Sîn I After 1764 BC Larsa Unknown Ruler of Larsa
Vercingetorix during 46 BC Gaul (detained by the Roman Republic) Strangulation Gaulish leader defeated by Julius Caesar
Gaius Asinius Gallus 33 Roman Empire Starvation Roman senator
Alexander of Jerusalem 251 Roman Empire Unknown Martyr and saint
Mani 274-03-02 or 277-02-26 Template:Flag Unknown Prophet and founder of Manichaeism Manichaeans later depicted his death as a crucifixion in analogy to the crucifixion of Jesus.
Hilderic 530 Vandal Kingdom Murder King of the Vandals and Alans
Al-Abbas ibn al-Walid 750 Umayyad Caliphate Unknown disease Prince and general
Abu Hanifa 767-08-15 Abbasid Caliphate Unknown Founder of the Hanafi school of Islamic jurisprudence His tomb was destroyed by Shah Ismail of the Safavid Empire in 1508, but rebuilt by the Ottomans in 1533.
Itakh 849 Abbasid Caliphate Thirst Commander in the Turkic army of the Abbasid Caliphate
Tughj ibn Juff 906 Abbasid Caliphate Unknown Turkic military officer
Muhammad ibn Yaqut 935 Abbasid Caliphate Unknown Official of the Abbasid Caliphate

11th to 15th century

Name Date of death Nationality Cause of death Known for Comments
Abd al-Rahim ibn Ilyas 1021 Fatimid Caliphate Suicide Heir-apparent of the caliph al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah According to the official account, he committed suicide by thrusting a fruit knife into his belly, but coeval rumours insisted that he was assassinated.
Robert Curthose 1134 House of Normandy Unknown Duke of Normandy, eldest son of William the Conqueror Imprisoned by his younger brother Henry I of England.
Ibn Barrajan 1141 Almoravid dynasty Unknown Arab Sufi figure of Al-Andalus
Joscelin II, Count of Edessa 1159 Template:Flag (detained by the Zengid State) Unknown Last ruling count of Edessa
Daoud ibn al-Adid 1207/08 Template:Flag Unknown 25th imam of Hafizi Isma'ilism
Peter II of Courtenay 1219 Template:Flag Unknown Latin Emperor
Eleanor, Fair Maid of Brittany 1241-08-10 House of Plantagenet Unknown Princess and potential heiress to her house as granddaughter of Henry II of England Imprisoned by her uncle King John of England and cousin Henry III of England to prevent her potential claim, without trial or sentence. Unbelievably rumored to be starved by John.
Sulayman ibn Daoud 1248 Template:Flag Unknown 26th and last imam of Hafizi Isma'ilism
Guy de Montfort, Count of Nola 1291 Template:Flag (detained by Template:Flag) Unknown Son of Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester
Sayf al-Din Salar October 1310 Template:Flag Starvation Viceroy of the Mamluk sultan al-Nasir Muhammad
Margaret of Villehardouin February/March 1315 Barony of Akova Unknown Baroness of two thirds of Akova
Pietro d'Abano 1315 Abano Bagni (detained by the Template:Flag) Unknown Philosopher, astrologer
Ibn Taymiyya 1328-09-26 Template:Flag Unknown illness Sunni Muslimʿālim, muhaddith, judge, proto-Salafist theologian, ascetic, and iconoclastic theologian
Kęstutis August 1382 Template:Flag Unknown, presumably strangled Grand Duke of Lithuania, father of Vytautas, uncle of Jogaila Jogaila claimed that his death was suicide by hanging. Most coeval sources conjecture that Kęstutis was strangled on Jogaila's orders.
Nicolò Guarco c. 1385 Template:Flag Unknown 7th doge of the Republic of Genoa
Dionysius, Metropolitan of Kiev 1385-10-15 Principality of Moscow Unknown Russian Orthodox metropolitan
Guido III da Polenta 1389 Ravenna Unknown Lord of Ravenna, member of the Da Polenta family Imprisoned by his sons.
Thomas of Woodstock, Duke of Gloucester 1397-09-08/09 Template:Flag Murder Youngest child of King Edward III of England
Eleanor, Duchess of Gloucester 1452-07-07 Template:Flag Unknown English noblewoman, second wife of Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester Sentenced to life imprisonment for treasonable necromancy. Her imprisonment and forced divorce was likely politically motivated.<ref>Template:Cite ODNB</ref>
Pak P'aengnyŏn 1456-06-07 Joseon Torture Scholar-official, one of the six martyred ministers, uncle of Queen Janggyeong All the males in his family were executed and females were enslaved.
Henry VI of England 1471-05-21 Template:Flag Probably murder Last King of England of the House of Plantagenet and disputed King of France

16th century

Name Date of death Nationality Cause of death Known for Comments
Dmitry Ivanovich 1509-02-14 Grand Principality of Moscow Unknown Grand Prince of Moscow (co-ruler), grandson of Ivan III
Pietro Torrigiano August 1528 Template:Flag (detained by Template:Flag) Natural causes Italian Renaissance sculptor
Yury Ivanovich 1536-08-03 Grand Principality of Moscow Starvation Son of Ivan III
Andrey of Staritsa 1537-12-11 Grand Principality of Moscow Unknown Youngest son of Ivan III
Girolamo Zane 1572-10-13 Template:Flag Natural causes Capitano Generale da Mar of the Venetian fleet
Eric XIV of Sweden 1577-02-26 Template:Flag Arsenic poisoning King of Sweden, brother of John III of Sweden
James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell 1578-04-14 Template:Flag (detained by Template:Flag) Unknown King consort of Scotland in 1567
Ferenc Dávid 1579-04-14 Principality of Transylvania Natural causes Protestant preacher and theologian, founder of the Unitarian Church of Transylvania
Philip Howard, 13th Earl of Arundel 1595-10-19 Template:Flag Dysentery Imprisoned in the Tower of London as a Roman Catholic recusant by Elizabeth I of England. Acclaimed a martyr almost immediately and canonised in 1970 as one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales.

17th century

Name Date of death Nationality Cause of death Known for Comments
Li Zhi 1602 China Suicide by cutting his throat Philosopher, historian, writer
Simon I of Kartli 1611 Kingdom of Kartli (detained by the Ottoman Empire) Unknown King of Kartli
Vasili IV of Russia 1612-09-12 Template:Flag (detained by Template:Flag) Unknown Tsar of Russia
Cesare Corte 1613 Template:Flag Unknown Renaissance painter
Marina Mniszech 1614-12-24 Template:Flag Unknown Tsaritsa, wife of False Dmitry I and False Dmitry II
Husayn Pasha 1663 Ottoman Empire Murder Governor of Gaza Sanjak
Marcy Clay 1665 Template:Flag Suicide by poisoning English thief and highwayrobber Sentenced to death by hanging
Hardress Waller 1666-07-30 Template:Flag Unknown Member of Parliament, regicide of King Charles I of England
Gilbert Millington 1666 Template:Flag Unknown Barrister, regicide of King Charles I of England
Henry Smith 1668 Template:Flag Unknown Member of Parliament, regicide of King Charles I of England
James Temple 1680-02-17 Template:Flag Unknown Soldier, regicide of King Charles I of England
Sarah Osborne 1692-05-10 Template:Flag Unknown One of the first women to be accused of witchcraft in the Salem witch trials
Giuseppe Francesco Borri 1695-08-20 Template:Flag (detained by the Template:Flag) Malaria Alchemist, freethinker, physician

18th century

Name Date of death Nationality Cause of death Known for Comments
Bartholomew Sharp 1702-10-29 Template:Flag (detained by the Template:Flag) Unknown Buccaneer and privateer
Giovanni Battista Sidotti 1714-11-27 Template:Flag (detained by the Template:Flag) Unknown Priest, missionary of the Propaganda Fide
Alexei Petrovich, Tsarevich of Russia 1718-06-26 Template:Flag Unknown Tsarevich Died two days after the senate had condemned him to death.
Mary Read 1721-04-08 Template:Flag (detained by the Colony of Jamaica) Fever Pirate Originally sentenced to hang, she claimed to be pregnant and received a temporary stay of execution.
Aaron Margalita c. 1725 Poland (detained by Template:Flag) Unknown Rabbi who later converted to Calvinism and Lutheranism
Dmitry Mikhailovich Golitsyn the Elder 1737-04-14 Template:Flag Natural causes Aristocrat of the Golitsyn family, attempted to turn Russia into a constitutional monarchy
Robert Blackbourn 1748 Template:Flag Unknown Jacobite conspirator Arrested for his involvement in an assassination plot of 1696
Stepan Fyodorovich Apraksin 1758-08-17 Template:Flag Unknown Commander during the Seven Years' War
Tarakanova 1775-12-15 Template:Flag Tuberculosis Pretender to the Russian throne
Lord George Gordon 1793-11-01 Template:Flag Typhoid fever British politician
Louis XVII 1795-06-08 Template:Flag Scrofula Dauphin of France
Franz Gotthardi 1795 Template:Flag Unknown Hungarian-born businessman and senior police officer
Wolfe Tone 1798-11-19 Template:Flag (detained by Template:Flag) Suicide Leader of the 1798 Irish Rebellion against Great Britain Sentenced to death by hanging; committed suicide because he wanted to die by firing squad (a soldier's death, rather than a criminal's) instead.

19th century

Name Date of death Nationality Cause of death Known for Comments
Darya Nikolayevna Saltykova 1801-12-09 Template:Flag Natural causes Noblewoman from the Saltykov family, serial killer
Toussaint Louverture 1804-04-07 Template:Flag (detained by Template:Flag) Natural causes Leader of the Haitian Revolution who was imprisoned for launching a rebellion against France
Erminio Criscione 1807-12-07 Template:Flag Suicide or killed by Alexandre Pétion Haitian Independence hero
Pedro Carujo 1836-01-31 Template:Country Battle wounds Military officer, one of the leaders in the Revolution of the Reforms
Solomon Dodashvili 1836-08-20 Template:Flag Tuberculosis Georgian philosopher, journalist, historian, grammarian, belletrist and enlightener
Anthony Van Egmond 1838-01-05 Template:Flag (detained by Template:Flag) Pneumonia, malnutrition and exposure Dutch war veteran and an early settler in the Huron Tract
Osceola 1838-01-30 Seminole (detained by the Template:Flag) Peritonsillar abscess caused by tonsillitis Leader of the Seminole
Wilhelm Küchelbecker 1846-08-23 Template:Flag Tuberculosis Romantic poet, Decembrist revolutionary
Mullá ʻAlíy-i-Bastámí 1846 Template:Flag (detained by the Template:Flag) Unknown 2nd Letter of the Living in the Bábí movement
Rrapo Hekali December 1847 Template:Flag Unknown Albanian revolutionary
Ion Negulici 1851-04-05 Template:Flag Tuberculosis Painter, participant in the Wallachian Revolution of 1848
Chui A-poo 1851 Template:Flag Suicide by hanging Pirate One of the two most notorious South China Sea pirates of the era
Matilde Malenchini 1858-09-08 Template:Flag Unknown Academic painter Accused of pushing one of her maids out of a window when the maid was caught stealing.
Dimitar Miladinov January 1862 Template:Flag Typhus Bulgarian poet, folklorist, and activist
Konstantin Miladinov January 1862 Template:Flag Typhus Bulgarian poet, folklorist, and activist
James Henry Gooding 1864-07-19 Template:Flag (detained by the Template:Flag) Unknown Corporal in the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment
Lorenzo Denning 1865-02-08 Template:Flag (detained by the Template:Flag) Unknown Soldier, awarded with the Medal of Honor
Walerian Łukasiński 1868-01-27 Template:Flag Natural causes Polish officer and political activist, symbol of the Polish struggle for independence
Stanislav Dospevski 1878-01-06 Template:Flag Unknown Bulgarian painter, nephew of Zahari Zograf
Sándor Rózsa 1878-11-22 Template:Flag Tuberculosis Outlaw, best-known Hungarian highwayman
Grigory Goldenberg July 1880 Template:Flag Suicide Revolutionary, member of Narodnaya Volya
Hesya Helfman 1882-02-01 Template:Flag Peritonitis Belarusian-Jewish revolutionary, member of Narodnaya Volya
Nikolai Kletochnikov 1883-07-13 Template:Flag Hunger strike Revolutionary, joined the police to act as a source of inside information
Alexander Dmitrievich Mikhailov 1884-03-30 Template:Flag Unknown Revolutionary, one of the founders of Zemlya i Volya and Narodnaya Volya
Alexander Dolgushin 1885-06-30 Template:Flag Tuberculosis Populist
Maria Kutitonskaya 1887-05-04 Template:Flag Tuberculosis Ukrainian Narodnik revolutionary, attempted to assassinate the military governor Luka Illyashevich
Aizik Aronchik 1888-04-02 Template:Flag Unknown Russian revolutionary, attempted to assassinate Tsar Alexander II
Maria Kalyuzhnaya 1889-11-07 Template:Flag Suicide by poisoning Ukrainian Narodnik revolutionary
Nadia Smyrnytska 1889-11-07 Template:Flag Suicide by poisoning Ukrainian Narodnik revolutionary
Nadezhda Sigida 1889-11-08 Template:Flag Suicide by poisoning Revolutionary
Maria Kovalevska 1889-11-19 Template:Flag Suicide by poisoning Ukrainian Narodnik revolutionary
Mariia Vetrova 1897-02-24 Template:Flag Self-immolation Ukrainian teacher and revolutionary
Dervish Cara Late 19th century Template:Flag Unknown Albanian revolutionary leader

1900–1939

Name Date of death Nationality Cause of death Known for Comments
Gaetano Bresci 1901-05-22 Template:Flag Suicide by hanging Anarchist, assassinated King Umberto I of Italy
Nikola Aslanov 1905-09-24 Template:Flag Unknown Bulgarian revolutionary, worker of the IMARO
Marko Boshnakov 1908-02-15 Template:Flag Unknown Bulgarian anarchist, member of the Gemidziite
Milan Arsov 1908-06-08 Template:Flag Unknown Bulgarian anarchist, member of the Gemidziite
Muhammad al-Kattani 1909-05-04 Template:Flag Died after being mutilated and beaten Sufi faqih
Giovanni Passannante 1910-02-14 Template:Flag Unknown Anarchist, attempted to assassinate King Umberto I of Italy
Luigi Lucheni 1910-10-19 Template:Flag (detained by Template:Flag) Suicide by hanging Anarchist, assassinated Empress Elisabeth of Austria
Igor Sazonov 1910-12-10 Template:Flag Suicide by poisoning or self-immolation Revolutionary, member of the SR Combat Organization
Hristo Batandzhiev 1913-07-18 Template:Flag Murder Macedonian Bulgarian revolutionary, one of the founders of the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization
Dmytro Yaremko 1916-10-03 Template:Flag Unknown Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Lviv and titular bishop of Ostroh
Nikolay Radkevich Autumn 1916 Template:Flag Killed by fellow inmates Serial killer
Gennaro Rubino 1918-03-14 Template:Flag (detained by Template:Flag) Unknown Anarchist, tried to assassinate King Leopold II of Belgium
Frans Koskinen 1918-04-26 Template:Flag Unknown Journalist and politician Imprisoned for having sided with the Reds during the Finnish Civil War.
Gavrilo Princip 1918-04-28 Template:Flag Malnutrition and skeletal tuberculosis Serbian assassin Assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand, beginning World War I
Efraim Kronqvist 1918-05-22 Template:Flag Unknown House painter and politician Imprisoned for having sided with the Reds during the Finnish Civil War.
Albin Valjakka 1918-06-29 Template:Flag Unknown Journalist and politician Imprisoned for having sided with the Reds during the Finnish Civil War.
Julius Nurminen 1918-07-24 Template:Flag Unknown Journalist and politician Imprisoned for having sided with the Reds during the Finnish Civil War.
Pavel Spiridonovich Medvedev 1919-03-12 Template:Flag Typhus Bolshevik revolutionary, participant in the execution of the Romanov family
Jussi Kujala 1919-07-01 Template:Flag Suicide Journalist and former member of the Parliament of Finland
Gaki Sherocho 1919 Kingdom of Kaffa (detained by Template:Flag) Unknown Last King of Kaffa
Aleksandr Vladimirovich Razvozov 1920-06-14 Template:Flag Infection after an appendectomy Rear admiral, first commander of the Soviet Baltic Fleet
Ivan Kalmykov September 1920 Template:Flag (detained by Template:Flag) Shot during an escape attempt Ataman of the Ussuri Cossacks
Michael Fitzgerald 1920-10-17 Template:Flag Hunger strike Officer Commanding of the Irish Republican Army
Terence MacSwiney 1920-10-25 Template:Flag Hunger strike Irish playwright, author and politician, Lord Mayor of Cork
Joe Murphy 1920-10-25 Template:Flag Hunger strike Officer in the Irish Republican Army
Joseph Whitty 1923-08-02 Template:Flag Hunger strike Volunteer in the Irish Republican Army
Denny Barry 1923-08-02 Template:Flag Hunger strike Irish Republican
Yrjö Mäkelin 1923-09-18 Template:Flag Suicide Socialist, journalist and former member of parliament
Andy O'Sullivan 1923-11-22 Template:Flag Hunger strike Intelligence Officer and regional leader in the Irish Republican Army
Krishna Lal Adhikari 1923-12-09 Template:Flag Tuberculosis Author of the now lost work Makaiko Kheti
Leung Ying 1928-10-22 Template:Flag (detained by the Template:Flag) Suicide by hanging Mass murderer The worst case of mass murder in California history at the time
Dagmar Overbye 1929-05-06 Template:Flag Unknown Serial killer
Uļi Kīnkamäg 1932-06-01 Template:Flag Unknown Livonian nationalist, "King of Livs"
Ajvaagiin Danzan 1932 Template:Flag Unknown Chairman of the MPRP
Richard Loeb 1936-01-28 Template:Flag Murdered by fellow inmate<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> American murderer
Zmicier Zhylunovich 1937-04-11 Template:Flag Suicide Belarusian Poet, journalist and political leader Arrested during the Great Purge as an "enemy of the Belarusian people"
Antonio Gramsci 1937-04-27 Template:Flag combination of arteriosclerosis, pulmonary tuberculosis, high blood pressure, angina, gout and acute gastric disorders Marxist philosopher, linguist, journalist, writer, and politician Arrested by the OVRA

1940s

Name Date of death Nationality Cause of death Known for Comments
Albert Richter 1940-01-02 Template:Flag Unknown Cyclist and World amateur sprint champion His death was successively ruled as a skii accident, being beaten by rival smugglers, suicide by hanging, suicide by shooting and having fallen at the Eastern Front. Richter was presumably killed by the Gestapo.
Tony D'Arcy 1940-04-16 Template:Flag Hunger strike Senior leader in the Irish Republican Army
Jack McNeela 1940-04-19 Template:Flag Hunger strike Officer Commanding of all IRA forces in England
Walter Kraemer 1941-11-16 Template:Flag Murder Politician of the KPD and member of the resistance against Nazism Became known as the "Doctor of Buchenwald" for medically helping other prisoners.
Daniil Kharms 1942-02-02 Template:Flag Starvation Avant-gardist and absurdist poet, writer and dramatist Arrested as a member of "a group of anti-Soviet children's writers". He was later exonerated in 1960.
Heinz Hitler 1942-02-21 Template:Flag (detained by the Template:Flag) Unknown Half-nephew of Adolf Hitler and half-brother of William Stuart-Houston Died at the age of 21 in the Butyrka prison in Moscow.
Prince Amedeo, Duke of Aosta 1942-03-03 Template:Flag (detained by the Template:Flag) Tuberculosis, malaria Duke of Aosta, Viceroy of Italian East Africa
Miguel Hernández 1942-03-28 Template:Flag Tuberculosis Poet and playwright
Ernst Heilborn 1942-05-16 Template:Flag Unknown Writer, critic and journalist
Francesco Fantin 1942-11-16 Template:Flag (detained by Template:Flag) Injuries caused by the attack of another inmate Anti-fascist activist Detained in Loveday Camp 14 because he was mistaken for a fascist.
Jan Ankerman 1942-12-27 Template:Flag (detained by Template:Flag) Unknown Field hockey player, won the Silver medal at the 1928 Summer Olympics
Nikolai Vavilov 1943-01-26 Template:Flag Malnutrition Russian botanist and geneticist who was imprisoned for his attempts to oppose pseudoscience
Yakov Dzhugashvili 1943-04-14 Template:Flag (detained by Template:Flag) Unknown Eldest son of Joseph Stalin Died at Sachsenhausen concentration camp, Stalin refused a prisoner exchange between him and Heinz Hitler.
Ru van der Haar 1943-05-15 Template:Flag (detained by Template:Flag) Unknown Field hockey player, won the Bronze medal at the 1936 Summer Olympics
Henri Baaij 1943-05-31 Template:Flag (detained by Template:Flag) Unknown Footballer
Hans Fokker 1943-07-02 Template:Flag (detained by Template:Flag) Tropical disease Sailor, participant in the 1928 Summer Olympics
Vito Cascio Ferro 1943-09-20 Template:Flag Natural causes or bombing of his prison Mafioso of the Sicilian Mafia
Albert Love 1943-11-08 Template:Flag (detained by Template:Flag) Unknown Welsh boxer, competed for England in the 1930 British Empire Games
Umberto di Giorgio 1943-11-30 Template:Flag (detained by Template:Flag) Heart attack Lieutenant general, in charge of the territorial defense of Rome
Kasturba Gandhi 1944-02-22 Template:Flag Natural causes Indian political activist and the wife of Mahatma Gandhi Imprisoned in a detention camp in Pune for protesting and participating in the Quit India Movement.
Armellini Chiappi 1944-11-04 Template:Flag (detained by Template:Flag) Illness Lieutenant general, in charge of the territorial defense of Florence
Ralph Shields 1944-11-21 Template:Flag (detained by Template:Flag) Malnutrition, beriberi Footballer
Rodolfo Torresan 1944-11-22 Template:Flag (detained by Template:Flag) Illness Major general, served in four wars
Johannes van der Vegte 1945-03-15 Template:Flag (detained by Template:Flag) Unknown Rower, participant in the 1920 Summer Olympics
Ettore Deltetto 1945-04-18 Template:Flag Gastrointestinal perforation Major general Was sentenced to 20 years for "abandonment of command" on 24 December 1944. The sentenced was overturned two years later.
Viktors Eglītis 1945-04-20 Template:Flag Unknown Leading figure in the Latvian decadent movement and an introducer of modernist poetics Accused of being a fascist collaborator during the Soviet era.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
August Kop 1945-04-30 Template:Flag (detained by Template:Flag) Unknown Field hockey player, won the Silver medal at the 1928 Summer Olympics
Frederik Lamp 1945-05-27 Template:Flag (detained by Template:Flag) Unknown Sprinter, participant in the 1924 Summer Olympics
Emil Hácha 1945-06-27 Template:Flag Unknown 3rd President of Czechoslovakia, later of the Protectorate Bohemia and Moravia
Robert A. Jaffray 1945-07-29 Template:Flag (detained by Template:Flag) Malnutrition, illness Evangelical Missionary in China and Indonesia
Robert Ley 1945-10-25 Template:Flag (detained by the Template:Flagicon image Allied Powers) Suicide by hanging Nazi war criminal
Damase Pierre-Louis 1945 Template:Flag Unknown Historian, author, diplomat
Tito Agosti 1946-01-27 Template:Flag (detained by the Template:Flagicon image Allied Powers) Suicide Major general, served in four wars
Seán McCaughey 1946-05-11 Template:Flag Hunger strike Officer Commanding of the IRA Northern Command
Hermann Göring 1946-10-15 Template:Flag (detained by the Template:Flagicon image Allied Powers) Suicide by poison Nazi war criminal
Ioannis Rallis 1946-10-26 Template:Flag Natural causes Prime Minister of Greece during the Axis occupation
Victor Lustig 1947-03-11 Template:Flag Pneumonia Con artist, sold the Eiffel Tower
Giovanni Battista Caneva 1947-02-12 Template:Flag Injuries caused by his detainees federal secretary of the Republican Fascist Party, head of the province of Reggio Emilia
Walter Nicolai 1947-05-04 Template:Flag (detained by the Template:Flag) Heart attack Head of Abteilung III b in World War I
Frits Clausen 1947-12-05 Template:Flag Heart attack Leader of the DNSAP
Raoul Wallenberg 1947 or later Template:Flag (believed to have been detained by the Template:Flag) Unknown (debated) Diplomat, rescued Jews during the Holocaust Extrajudicial punishment in Soviet Lefortovo prison
Georgios Tsolakoglou 1948-05-22 Template:Flag Leukemia Prime Minister of Greece during the Axis occupation

1950s

Name Date of death Nationality Cause of death Known for Comments
Grigory Gukovsky 1950-04-02 Template:Flag Heart attack Literary historian, rediscovered 18th-century Russian literature
Peter Novopashenny October 1950 Template:Flag Unknown Marine Officer, cryptanalyst
Rafael Simón Urbina 1950-11-13 Template:Country Murder Rebel
Patrick James Byrne 1950-11-25 Template:Flag Pneumonia Catholic missionary and bishop
Werner Haase 1950-11-30 Template:Flag (detained by the Template:Flag) Tuberculosis SS member and one of Adolf Hitler's personal physicians Likely died in Butyrka prison
Terry Waters 1951-04-22 Template:Flag (detained by Template:Flag) Unknown Soldier, awarded with the George Cross Captured at the Battle of the Imjin River during the Korean War
Gaspare Pisciotta 1954-02-09 Template:Flag Strychnine poisoning Companion of Salvatore Giuliano
Rudolf Beran 1954-04-23 Template:Flag Natural causes Prime minister of Czechoslovakia and the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia
Muhammad Zarqtuni 1954-06-18 Template:Flag Suicide by poisoning Moroccan nationalist
Jaroslav Krejčí 1956-05-18 Template:Flag Natural causes Prime minister of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia
Dominik Trčka 1959-03-23 Template:Flag Pneumonia Redemptorist priest Regarded as a martyr of the Catholic Church. He was later beatified in 2001.
Karl Jäger 1959-06-22 Template:Flag Suicide by hanging Nazi war criminal
Ion Gigurtu 1959-11-24 Template:Flag Unknown illness Romanian politician, Foreign Minister and Prime Minister of Romania Rehabilitated by the Romanian Supreme Court in 1999.

1960s

Name Date of death Nationality Cause of death Known for Comments
Nepomuceno Matallana 1960-01-24 Template:Flag Bronchitis with heart failure Murderer and suspected serial killer
Pavel Peter Gojdič 1960-07-17 Template:Flag Terminal cancer Eparch of the Slovak Greek Catholic Eparchy of Prešov Imprisoned by the StB because the Communist government outlawed the Greek Catholic Church. He was later beatified in 2001 and recognised as Righteous Among the Nations in 2007.
Ajax Delgado 1960-09-05 Template:Flag Murder Coffee grower, political activist
Guido Zingerle 1962-08-09 Template:Flag Liver cancer Serial killer and rapist, "The Monster of Tyrol"
Robert Stroud 1963-11-21 Template:Flag Natural causes The Birdman of Alcatraz
Fabricio Ojeda 1966-06-21 Template:Country Suicide by hanging Guerrilla leader, politician and journalist
Jack Ruby 1967-01-03 Template:Flag Pulmonary embolism American nightclub owner Murdered Lee Harvey Oswald.
Ilse Koch 1967-09-01 Template:Flag Suicide by hanging Wife of the Commandant of Buchenwald concentration camp
Vito Genovese 1969-02-14 Template:Flag

Template:Flag

Heart attack Italian-American mobster, leader of the Genovese crime family
Bonifacio Ondó Edú 1969-03-05 Template:Flag Official version: suicide Former Prime Minister of Spanish Guinea According to one account, Ondó Edú was tortured in Black Beach prison for ten days by Mariano Mdemendongo, a member of the national guard, before finally being executed.
Don Drummond 1969-05-06 Template:Flag Official version: natural causes Ska trombonist, composer Convicted of murdering his lover Anita Mahfood, the official cause of death is disputed<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Liu Shaoqi 1969-11-12 Template:Flag Pneumonia / unknown illness Former Chairman of the People's Republic of China Died of mistreatment as a result of political persecution during the Cultural Revolution

1970s

Name Date of death Nationality Cause of Death Known for Comments
Josef Bachmann 1970-02-24 Template:Flag Suicide Attempt to assassinate APO student leader Rudi Dutschke
Mahmud al-Muntasir 1970-09-28 Template:Flag Unknown 1st Prime Minister of Libya
Leopold Takawira 1970 Template:Flag Neglect of his diabetes by the prison authorities Vice-president of the Zimbabwe African National Union
George Jackson 1971-08-21 Template:Flag Shot to death during an escape attempt Co-founder of the Black Guerrilla Family and one of the Soledad Brothers
Mack Ray Edwards 1971-10-30 Template:Flag Suicide by hanging Child molester and serial killer
Franco Serantini 1972-05-07 Template:Flag Coma Anarchist
Pedro Luis Boitel 1972-05-25 Template:Flag Hunger strike Poet and dissident
Lee Roy Martin 1972-05-31 Template:Flag Stabbed by fellow inmate Serial killer
Yuri Galanskov 1972-11-04 Template:Flag Death from an operation by a former doctor (another inmate) without surgical qualifications Russian poet, historian, and human rights activist, imprisoned for his writings
Yoro Diakité 1973-06-13 Template:Flag Unknown Prime Minister of Mali, Head of the Provisional Government, first Vice President of Mali
Albert DeSalvo 1973-11-25 Template:Flag Murder The Boston Strangler
Michael Gaughan 1974-06-03 Template:Flag (detained by the Template:Flag) Hunger strike Member of the Official Irish Republican Army
Holger Meins 1974-11-09 Template:Flag Hunger strike Member of the Red Army Faction
Charles Schmid 1975-03-30 Template:Flag Stabbed by two fellow inmates Serial killer
Siegfried Hausner 1975-05-05 Template:Flag Severe burns untreated in custody Member of the Red Army Faction
Katharina Hammerschmidt 1975-06-29 Template:Flag Untreated cancer Member of the Red Army Faction
Vladimir Herzog 1975-10-25 Template:Flag

Template:Flag

Suicide by hanging Journalist, university professor and playwright According to opposition, he was murdered by the DOI-CODI officers
Frank Stagg 1976-02-12 Template:Flag (detained by the Template:Flag) Hunger strike Volunteer in the Provisional Irish Republican Army
Ulrike Meinhof 1976-05-09 Template:Flag Suicide by hanging Founding member of the Red Army Faction
Alioune Dramé 1977-03-01 Template:Flag Unknown Economist and politician, ambassador to Ivory Coast
Claudio Camaso 1977-09-16 Template:Flag Suicide by hanging Actor, brother of Gian Maria Volonté Imprisoned for the murder of Vincenzo Mazza.
Steve Biko 1977-10-18 Template:Flag Bludgeoned to death by South African police<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> South African anti-Apartheid activist Forty-sixth political detainee to die during interrogation since the government introduced laws permitting imprisonment without trial in 1963.
Andreas Baader 1977-10-18 Template:Flag Suicide by shooting Leader of the Red Army Faction
Gudrun Ensslin 1977-10-18 Template:Flag Suicide by hanging Founding member of the Red Army Faction
Jan-Carl Raspe 1977-10-18 Template:Flag Suicide by shooting Member of the Red Army Faction
Ingrid Schubert 1977-11-12 Template:Flag Suicide by hanging Member of the Red Army Faction
Joseph Kotalla 1979-07-31 Template:Flag (detained by the Template:Flag) Natural causes SS soldier, head of the administration of Kamp Amersfoort concentration camp
Haregot Abbai 1979 Template:Flag Murder Businessman, politician

1980s

Name Date of death Nationality Cause of death Known for Comments
Pat Hare 1980-09-26 Template:Flag Lung cancer American electric blues guitarist and singer
Richard Chase 1980-12-26 Template:Flag Suicide Serial killer, cannibal and necrophile; also known as "The Vampire of Sacramento"
James Mitose 1981-03-26 Template:Flag Diabetes Martial artist, brought the art of Kenpo to the United States
Thor Christiansen 1981-03-30 Template:Flag Stabbed by an unknown killer Serial killer and necrophile
Sigurd Debus 1981-04-16 Template:Flag Hunger strike Alleged member of the Red Army Faction
Bobby Sands 1981-05-05 Template:Flag Hunger strike Irish republican, member of the Provisional Irish Republican Army Died along with 9 other Republicans on hunger strike. See 1981 Irish Hunger Strike
Francis Hughes 1981-05-12 Template:Flag Hunger strike Volunteer in the Provisional Irish Republican Army Died along with 9 other Republicans on hunger strike. See 1981 Irish Hunger Strike
Raymond McCreesh 1981-05-21 Template:Flag Hunger strike Volunteer in the South Armagh Brigade of the Provisional Irish Republican Army Died along with 9 other Republicans on hunger strike. See 1981 Irish Hunger Strike
Patsy O'Hara 1981-05-21 Template:Flag Hunger strike Member of the Irish National Liberation Army Died along with 9 other Republicans on hunger strike. See 1981 Irish Hunger Strike
Joe McDonnell 1981-07-08 Template:Flag Hunger strike Volunteer in the Provisional Irish Republican Army Died along with 9 other Republicans on hunger strike. See 1981 Irish Hunger Strike
Martin Hurson 1981-07-13 Template:Flag Hunger strike Volunteer in the East Tyrone Brigade of the Provisional Irish Republican Army Died along with 9 other Republicans on hunger strike. See 1981 Irish Hunger Strike
Kevin Lynch 1981-08-01 Template:Flag Hunger strike Member of the Irish National Liberation Army Died along with 9 other Republicans on hunger strike. See 1981 Irish Hunger Strike
Kieran Doherty 1981-08-02 Template:Flag Hunger strike Volunteer in the Belfast Brigade of the Provisional Irish Republican Army Died along with 9 other Republicans on hunger strike. See 1981 Irish Hunger Strike
Thomas McElwee 1981-08-08 Template:Flag Hunger strike Volunteer in the Provisional Irish Republican Army Died along with 9 other Republicans on hunger strike. See 1981 Irish Hunger Strike
Ervil LeBaron 1981-08-15 Template:Flag Natural causes American Mormon fundamentalist
Michael Devine 1981-08-20 Template:Flag Hunger strike Volunteer in the Irish National Liberation Army Died along with 9 other Republicans on hunger strike. See 1981 Irish Hunger Strike
Umar Muhayshi c. January 1984 Template:Flag Torture Army officer and member of the Libyan Revolutionary Command Council
Michele Sindona 1986-03-22 Template:Flag Cyanide poisoning (likely suicide) Banker for the Sicilian Mafia and the Vatican
Odysseas Angelis 1987-03-22 Template:Flag Suicide Military officer, Chief of the Hellenic Armed Forces, Vice President of Greece
Tsai Chen-chou 1987-05-14 Template:Flag Liver disease Politician and businessman
Rudolf Hess 1987-08-14 Template:Flag (held by the Four-Power Authorities) Suicide Nazi war criminal Was the sole inmate in Spandau Prison from 1966 until his death. The prison was demolished afterwards.
Roberto Succo 1988-05-23 Template:Flag Suicide by suffocating Serial killer
Roy Buchanan 1988-08-01 Template:Flag Suicide by hanging American guitarist His death is still the subject of fierce debate.
Abdulwahid AlAbduljabbar 1989 Template:Flag Severe hemorrhage caused by torture Political activist

1990s

Name Date of death Nationality Cause of death Known for Comments
Michael Tan Teow 1990-05-08 Template:Flag Suicide by pill overdose Convicted murderer and former actor Died in a solitary confinement cell at Changi Prison's death row section. Found guilty in 1985 of murdering a landlady and her two children, and sentenced to hang. His accomplice Lim Beng Hai, also on death row, was put to death five months later on 5 October 1990
Graham Young 1990-08-01 Template:Flag Heart attack Poisoner Died in Parkhurst prison. Heart attack is the official cause of death, but there has been speculation that other prisoners may have been responsible.Template:Citation needed
Klaus Barbie 1991-09-25 Template:Flag (detained by Template:Flag) Leukemia Nazi war criminal
Richard Speck 1991-12-05 Template:Flag Heart attack American mass murderer
Robert Berdella 1992-10-08 Template:Flag Heart attack Serial killer
Orton Chirwa 1992-10-20 Template:Flag Unknown Lawyer and political leader
Robert Biehler 1993-01-10 Template:Flag Cancer Serial killer
Jeffrey Feltner 1993-03-17 Template:Flag AIDS Serial killer
Kurt-Werner Wichmann 1993-04-25 Template:Flag Suicide by hanging Serial killer He hanged himself only 10 days after his arrest. The Netflix miniseries Dig Deeper: The Disappearance of Birgit Meier concentrates on his case.
Walter Breen 1993-04-27 Template:Flag Cancer American child molester
Garry David 1993-07-11 Template:Flag Died from wounds caused by self-mutilation Robbery and attempted murder
Liow Han Heng 1993-08-10 Template:Flag Heart attack Convicted murderer and former goldsmith shop worker Died in a solitary confinement cell at Changi Prison's death row section. Found guilty in 1992 of kidnapping and murdering his former employer, and sentenced to hang. His accomplice Ibrahim Masod, also on death row, was put to death 11 months later on 29 July 1994
Joe "Pegleg" Morgan 1993-11-08 Template:Flag (detained by the Template:Flag) Liver cancer Mexican Mafia leader
Luciano Leggio 1993-11-15 Template:Flag Heart attack Mafioso, head of the Corleonesi Succeeded by Salvatore Riina
Jack Unterweger 1994-06-29 Template:Flag Suicide Serial killer with estimated 12-15 victims<ref name="atkinson">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Czech language article about the victim from Prague</ref><ref name="LATimes">Template:Cite news</ref>
Michele Zaza 1994-07-18 Template:Flag Heart attack Mafioso, head of the Camorra clan Succeeded by his nephew Ciro Mazzarella.
Daniel Camargo Barbosa 1994-11-13 Template:Flag (detained by Template:Flag) Stabbed to death by Geovanny Noguera, a nephew of one of his victims<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Serial killer and rapist
Jeffrey Dahmer 1994-11-28 Template:Flag Beaten to death by fellow inmate Christopher Scarver<ref name=":0">Template:Cite news</ref> American serial killer and cannibal
Jesse Anderson 1994-11-30 Template:Flag Beaten to death by fellow inmate Christopher Scarver<ref name=":0" /> American murderer
Fred West 1995-01-01 Template:Flag Suicide by hanging<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Multiple murders; was on remand awaiting trial
Michael Lupo 1995-02-12 Template:Flag (detained by the Template:Flag) AIDS Serial killer
Edwin Kaprat 1995-04-19 Template:Flag Stabbed by two inmates Serial killer
Sadibou Hydara 1995-06-06 Template:Flag Murder Military and political leader
Kenneth Michael Trentadue 1995-08-21 Template:Flag Suicide by hanging Arrested during the investigation of the Oklahoma City bombing Trentadue's family maintains that he was murdered by members of the FBI
Ronald Kray 1995-09-07 Template:Flag Heart attack British gangster and murderer, twin brother of Reginald Kray
Robert Wayne Danielson 1995-09-07 Template:Flag Suicide by hanging Serial killer
Gerard John Schaefer 1995-12-03 Template:Flag Stabbed to death American murderer
Alfons Noviks 1996-03-12 Template:Flag Unknown Politician Charged with a life sentence for signing orders for the Soviet deportations from Latvia
Ottis Toole 1996-09-15 Template:Flag Cirrhosis Serial killer
Giuseppe Giacomo Gambino 1996-11-30 Template:Flag Suicide Mafioso, deputy of Totò Riina
James Earl Ray 1998-04-23 Template:Flag Hepatitis C Convicted for assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.

Joseph Glenn Smothers

Murdered by two inmates, aged 30s. Was taken to Alabama for funeral.
Moshood Abiola 1998-07-07 Template:Flag Heart attack Honorary supreme military commander of the Oyo Empire His death is disputed, with some believing he was poisoned or beaten to death.
Kaya 1999-02-21 Template:Flag Unknown Musician, creator of Seggae Arrested for smoking marijuana during one of his concerts
Aleksandr Komin 1999-06-15 Template:Flag Suicide by cutting Enslaver, serial killer Kept six people as prisoners in a 9-meter-deep bunker under his garage and killed four of them.
Saeed Emami 1999-06-19 Template:Flag Suicide Deputy minister of intelligence under Ali Fallahian His death was officially ruled as a suicide, although this is disputed by Iranian dissidents who believe he was murdered in order to prevent him leaking sensitive information.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Georgios Papadopoulos 1999-06-27 Template:Flag ALS, bladder cancer Military dictator of the Greek junta
Frank Valdes 1999-07-17 Template:Flag Beaten to death by correctional officers Murderer
Salvatore Greco 1999 Template:Flag Cancer Mafioso, brother of Michele Greco

2000s

Name Date of death Nationality Cause of death Known for Comments
Harry Riccobene 2000-06-19 Template:Flag

Template:Flag

Sepsis Mobster of the Philadelphia crime family
Oleg Kuznetsov 2000-08-04 Template:Flag Heart failure Serial killer, rapist Killed 10 girls and women between 1991 and 1992.
Ruslan Alikhadzhiyev 2000 Template:Flag Torture or heart attack Parliamentary speaker of Chechenia Disappeared in 2000, his death was reported as a prison death by Chechenpress and AFP; the FSB denied that
Byron De La Beckwith 2001-01-21 Template:Flag Heart attack<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> American white supremacist Klansman from Greenwood, Mississippi who assassinated civil rights leader Medgar Evers on June 12, 1963.
Henry Lee Lucas 2001-03-12 Template:Flag Heart failure "The Confession Killer"
Shankar Suppiahmaniam 2001-08-10 Template:Flag Murdered by his fellow cellmate Kanesan Ratnam, who was later sentenced to death for murdering him Charged with raping and abducting two young girls, and also his murder Scheduled to stand trial on 13 August 2001, but died three days before the trial was to begin
Thomas Schleicher 2001-11-02 Template:Flag Suicide Judoka and participant of the 1996 Summer Olympics Convicted for drug trafficking
Evison Matafale 2001-11-27 Template:Flag Pneumonia Reggae musician
Iván Urdinola Grajales 2002-02-02 Template:Flag Heart attack leader of the Norte del Valle Cartel, "El enano"
John Gotti 2002-06-10 Template:Flag Throat cancer American mafia boss
Turpal-Ali Atgeriyev 2002-08-18 Template:Flag Official version: inner bleedings caused by leukemia National security minister of Chechnya His relatives claimed he was tortured to death.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Myra Hindley 2002-11-15 Template:Flag Died in hospital after heart attack in prison British serial killer
Habibullah 2002-12-04 Template:Flag (detained by the Template:Flag) Pulmonary embolism due to blunt force injury to the legs<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Mullah, brother of a Taliban leader His death was initially attributed to "natural causes" by the military. The autopsy later classified Habibullah's death as homicide.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Dilawar 2002-12-10 Template:Flag (detained by the Template:Flag) "Blunt-force injuries to lower extremities complicating coronary artery disease" caused from torture Farmer and taxi driver The documentary film Taxi to the Dark Side (2007) focuses on his death.
Salman Raduyev 2002-12-14 Template:Flag Official version: "Serious and protracted diseases" Chechen military commander, responsible for the Kizlyar hostage taking raid His family and others claim that he was murdered by the authorities in prison.
Fesshaye Yohannes 2002-2007 Template:Flag Unknown Journalist
John Geoghan 2003-08-23 Template:Flag Murdered by fellow inmate Joseph Druce Catholic priest and child molester
Hassan Evan Naseem 2003-09-19 Template:Flag Beaten to death by the NSS personnel during a riot His death lead to the 2003 Maldives civil unrest
Md. Yakub Ali 2003-10-17 Template:Flag Unknown<ref name=":2">Template:Cite web</ref> Bangladesh Nationalist Party activist
Jahangir Hossain Template:Flag Unknown<ref name=":2" /> Bangladesh Nationalist Party activist
Manadel al-Jamadi 2003-11-04 Template:Flag (detained by the Template:Flag) Died from torture during a CIA interrogation Suspect in a bomb attack, also known as "The Iceman", "Mr. Frosty" and "Bernie" His death was a trigger of the 2003-2004 Abu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuse scandal
Abed Hamed Mowhoush 2003-11-26 Template:Flag (detained by the Template:Flag) Died from torture during a CIA interrogation Air vice-marshal of the Iraqi Air Force His death was initially attributed to "natural causes" by the CIA. After the Abu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuse scandal erupted, the Pentagon acknowledged that the cause of death was "asphyxia due to smothering and chest compression", and that his body showed "evidence of blunt force trauma to the chest and legs".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Harold Shipman 2004-01-13 Template:Flag Suicide by hanging British doctor who killed many of his patients
Abu Abbas 2004-03-08 Template:Flag (detained by the Template:Flag in Template:Flag) Natural causes Terrorist
Gaetano Badalamenti 2004-04-29 Template:Flag (detained by the Template:Flag) Heart failure Mafioso, head of the Sicilian Mafia Commission, leader in the "Pizza Connection"
Clayton Fountain 2004-07-12 Template:Flag Natural causes Member of the Aryan Brotherhood
Victor Kaliadin 2004-09-16 Template:Flag Heart attack CEO of the company Elers Electron
John Wayne Glover 2005-09-09 Template:Flag Suicide by hanging<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Sydney Granny Murderer
Vincent Gigante 2005-12-19 Template:Flag Oxygen deprivation American Mafia boss Boss of Genovese crime family
Stuart Alexander 2005-12-27 Template:Flag Pulmonary embolism Businessman and murderer Also known as "The Sausage King" because he was recognized and renowned for making linguiça sausage.
Slobodan Milošević 2006-03-11 Template:Flag Heart attack Serbian and Yugoslav president
Domenico Libri 2006-05-01 Template:Flag Unknown Member of the 'Ndrangheta
Andrew Martinez 2006-05-18 Template:Flag Suicide Nude activist
Samuel Bowers 2006-05-18 Template:Flag Cardiopulmonary arrest American white supremacist Co-founded the White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan and convicted of bombing death of civil rights leader Vernon Dahmer.
Ogulsapar Muradova August/September 2006 Template:Flag Official version: Natural causes Human rights activist, journalist The official cause of death is disputed by her children.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Ron Porambo 2006-10-22 Template:Flag Choking on an orange Journalist who covered the 1967 Newark riots Charged with 30 years for felony murder, conspiracy to commit robbery, two counts of armed robbery, burglary, and possession of a firearm for an unlawful purpose.
Samuel Hinga Norman 2007-02-22 Template:Flag Natural causes Founder and leader of the Civil Defence Forces
Charles Harrelson 2007-03-15 Template:Flag Heart attack Hitman, convicted of murdering U.S. Federal judge John H. Wood Jr. Father of actor Woody Harrelson.
David Lane 2007-03-28 Template:Flag Epilepsy American white nationalist
Stanley Rice 2007-11-03 Template:Flag Natural causes Serial killer, sex offender
Sergei Ryakhovsky 2007-11-12 Template:Flag Tuberculosis Serial killer
John Straffen 2007-11-19 Template:Flag Natural causes British serial killer Longest-serving prisoner in British legal history, was in prison for 55 years until his death
Ryan Gracie 2007-12-15 Template:Flag Died as a result of brain injury Brazilian mixed martial artist
Michele Greco 2008-02-13 Template:Flag Lung cancer Mafioso, head of the Sicilian Mafia Commission
Germano Nati 2008-03-17 Template:Flag Bladder and kidney infections<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Politician of the EPLF
Vlado Taneski 2008-06-23 Template:Flag Suicide by drowning in a plastic bucket of water Serial killer
Dinko Šakić 2008-07-20 Template:Flag Heart problems Commander of the Jasenovac concentration camp
Johnny "J" 2008-10-03 Template:Flag / Template:Flag Suicide Songwriter, music producer and rapper Charged with driving while intoxicated
Arthur Shawcross 2008-11-10 Template:Flag Cardiac arrest Serial killer
Son Jong-nam 2008-12-07 Template:Flag Unknown (probably torture) North Korean defector and Christian missionary
Antonie Dixon 2009-02-04 Template:Flag Suicide New Zealand thief and murderer
Omid Reza Mir Sayafi 2009-03-18 Template:Flag Unknown Blogger and journalist Arrested for allegedly insulting religious leaders and engaging in propaganda against the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Maxim Bazylev 2009-03-27 Template:Flag Suicide by cutting the veins on his forearms and neck Russian nationalist, last leader of the NSO
Toi Aukuso Cain 2009-04-18 Template:Flag Liver cancer Politician Arrested for the murder of Luagalau Leva'ula Kamu
Ibn al-Shaykh al-Libi 2009-05-10 Template:Flag Torture Leader of the Khalden training camp His death was officially ruled as suicide by hanging.
Fathi Eljahmi 2009-05-21 Template:Flag Unknown Politic dissident
Christopher Lunz 2009-09-22 Template:Flag Suicide Serial killer
Susan Atkins 2009-09-24 Template:Flag Brain tumor Member of the Manson family
John Evander Couey 2009-09-30 Template:Flag Cancer Sex offender convicted of murdering Jessica Lunsford
Sergei Magnitsky 2009-11-16 Template:Flag Closed cerebral cranial injury Russian tax accountant who specialized in anti-corruption activities Magnitsky alleged there had been large-scale theft from the Russian state, sanctioned and carried out by Russian officials. He was arrested and eventually died in prison. The documentary The Magnitsky Act – Behind the Scenes concentrates on his case.

2010s

Name Date of death Nationality Cause of death Known for Comments
Orlando Zapata 2010-02-23 Template:Flag Hunger strike Political activist
Carlo Cicuttini 2010-02-24 Template:Flag Lung cancer Neofascist terrorist
Germain Cyrille Ngota Ngota 2010-04-22 Template:Flag HIV Editor for the Cameroun Express Charged with falsifying a government document, the first journalist to die in the line of duty in Cameroon since 1992
Sipho Jele 2010-05-04 Template:Flag Suicide by hanging Member of the banned party People's United Democratic Movement
Wallace Souza 2010-07-27 Template:Flag Heart attack due to Budd–Chiari syndrome Television presenter and politician
Philip Markoff 2010-08-15 Template:Flag Suicide American murderer Known as the "Craigslist killer"
Dimitrios Ioannidis 2010-08-16 Template:Flag Respiratory problems Military dictator of the Greek junta
Terry Peder Rasmussen 2010-12-28 Template:Flag lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and pneumonia Serial killer with six known victims.<ref name="timeline">Template:Cite news</ref> on December 28, 2010.<ref name="WFXT">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="WBAL">Template:Cite news</ref>
Edwin Valero 2010-04-19 Template:Flag Suicide Professional boxer
Carl Williams 2010-04-19 Template:Flag Bludgeoned to death Australian crime boss Murdered by fellow inmate while serving sentence
Fawza Falih 2010 Template:Flag Official version: Choking on her food Condemned to death for practicing witchcraft
Akrom Yoʻldoshev 2010/11 Template:Flag Tuberculosis Founder of Akromiya
Colin Hatch February 2011 Template:Flag Suspected homicide Notorious murderer and child molester
Dorothea Puente 2011-03-27 Template:Flag Natural causes Serial killer
Lee Bradley Brown 2011-04-12 Template:Flag (detained by the Template:Flag) Unknown Tourist, his cause of death is still disputed
Edarem 2012-01-08 Template:Flag Lung cancer American Internet personality
Colin Ireland 2012-02-21 Template:Flag Died as a result of hip injury.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> British serial killer of gay men
Miguel Abia Biteo Boricó 2012-12-06 Template:Flag Cardiac arrest Former Prime Minister of Equatorial Guinea
Richard Ramirez 2013-06-07 Template:Flag Cancer American serial killer
Tjostolv Moland 2013-08-18 Template:Flag (detained by the Template:Flag) Suicide Sentenced to death for murder, and espionage for Norway Died in Congolese custody<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Anatoly Onoprienko 2013-08-27 Template:Flag Heart attack Serial killer and mass murderer
Ariel Castro 2013-09-03 Template:Flag Suicide or accidental strangulation Kidnapped and raped three American women for over a decade.
Heinrich Boere 2013-12-01 Template:Flag Natural causes Nazi war criminal
John Anthony Walker 2014-08-28 Template:Flag Unknown United States Navy Chief Warrant Officer convicted of spying for the Soviet Union from 1968 to 1985
Anushervon Rakhmanov 2015-04-02 Template:Flag

Template:Flag

Suicide by hanging Suspected serial killer
Sandra Bland 2015-07-13 Template:Flag Suicide (allegedly) American motorist Arrested for traffic violation on July 10 by State Trooper Brian Encinia. Encinia was indicted for perjury for making false statements about the circumstances of Bland's arrest. Waller County jail failed to follow required policies and procedures.
Manuel Contreras 2015-08-07 Template:Flag Unspecified kidney problems<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Army officer, former head of the National Intelligence Directorate He was serving 59 unappealable sentences totaling 529 years in prison at the time of his death.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Marcelo Moren Brito 2015-09-11 Template:Flag Multiple organ failure<ref name=":1">Template:Cite web</ref> Retired Army colonel and former agent of the Dirección de Inteligencia Nacional He was sentenced to more than 300 years in prison.<ref name=":1" />
Sarah Reed 2016-01-11 Template:Flag Suicide/accidental death On remand awaiting possible trial pending psychiatric reports Charged with GBH with intent
Lawrence Phillips 2016-01-13 Template:Flag Suicide American football player Phillips was facing the death penalty in the alleged murder of his former cellmate in April 2015.
Jacques Bihozagara 2016-03-30 Template:Flag (detained by Template:Flag) Unknown (probably assassination) Rwandan ambassador to France and Belgium Arrested on suspicion of espionage, died only minutes after arriving at the prison infirmary.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Vladimir Dolgopolov 2016-06-12 Template:Flag Stroke Soccer player, won a Master of Sports of the USSR award Was found guilty of negligent homicide and sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment in January 2016<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Bernardo Provenzano 2016-07-13 Template:Flag Bladder cancer Mafioso, chief of the Corleonesi
Lou Pearlman 2016-08-19 Template:Flag Cardiac arrest Manager of Backstreet Boys and *NSYNC
Gennadiy Tsypkalov 2016-09-24 Template:Flag Unknown (official version: Suicide) politician of the Luhansk People's Republic
Omar Abdel-Rahman 2017-02-18 Template:Flag

(detained by the Template:Flag)

Coronary arterial disease Terrorist
Lawrence Horn February 2017 Template:Flag Unknown Musician, record producer Arrested for hiring a hit man to murder his ex-wife, Mildred Horn, their disabled son Trevor, and nurse Janice Saunders.
Donald Harvey 2017-03-30 Template:Flag Killed by fellow inmate Serial killer
Aaron Hernandez 2017-04-19 Template:Flag Suicide Former tight-end for NFL team New England Patriots, later convicted of murdering Odin Lloyd Found not guilty of the 2012 double homicide of Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado just 5 days before he was found dead.
Yip Kai Foon 2017-04-19 Template:Flag Lung cancer<ref name="rthk20170419">Template:Cite news</ref> Hong Kong armed robber with AK-47
Ian Brady 2017-05-15 Template:Flag Cancer British serial killer
Manuel Noriega 2017-05-29 Template:Flag Issues after a brain hemorrhage Military dictator of Panama 1983-1989
Liu Xiaobo 2017-07-13 Template:Flag Liver cancer Prisoner of conscience Nobel Peace Prize laureate (2010)
Carlos Andrés García 2017-09-17 Template:Flag Debated Politician, councilman at the time of death García suffered a stroke in detention. Security officials reportedly refused to give medical attention to García, ignored the orders to transfer him to a health center and did not give him medicines sent by his relatives.<ref name="EP Mundo">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Uni">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He was transferred to a hospital days afterwards.<ref name="August">Template:Cite news</ref>
Salvatore Riina 2017-11-17 Template:Flag Unknown Mafioso, chief of the Sicilian Mafia
Charles Manson 2017-11-19 Template:Flag Natural causes Leader of the Manson Family
Nelson Martínez 2017-12-12 Template:Flag Health complications<ref>Jailed ex-Venezuela oil minister Nelson Martinez dies</ref> Minister of Petroleum and President of Petróleos de Venezuela
Ernst-Dieter Beck 2018-04-29 Template:Flag Unknown Serial killer He was the first person accused of murder in German legal history, on whom a chromosome test was applied.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Dennis Nilsen 2018-05-12 Template:Flag Pulmonary embolism British serial killer
Brian Lawler 2018-07-29 Template:Flag Suicide by hanging<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Professional wrestler
Fernando Albán 2018-10-08 Template:Flag Body fell from a tenth-floor of the headquarters of the Bolivarian Intelligence Service (SEBIN).<ref name=":7">Template:Cite news</ref> Unofficially, Albán died before his fall and the autopsy revealed that water was found in his lungs.<ref name=":10">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Politician, councilman at the time of death Initially ruled officially as a suicide, a version heavily disputed, authorities later admitted that Albán was killed during his detention.<ref name=":9">Template:Cite web</ref>
Whitey Bulger 2018-10-30 Template:Flag Killed by prison inmates American mobster
Andrew Urdiales 2018-11-02 Template:Flag Suicide by hanging Serial killer
Serhiy Tkach 2018-11-04 Template:Flag Heart failure Serial killer
Carmine Persico 2019-03-07 Template:Flag Natural causes Boss of the Colombo crime family
Mohamed Morsi 2019-06-17 Template:Flag Egyptian state television announced on 17 June 2019 that Mohamed Morsi had collapsed during a court hearing on espionage charges at Cairo's Tora prison complex, and later died suddenly, reportedly of a heart attack.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="bbcdeath">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="ajdeath">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Former President of Egypt
Rafael Acosta Arévalo 2019-06-29 Template:Flag Widespread polytrauma, torture<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Military officer with the rank of corvette captain Died shortly after attending to a court hearing, arriving in a wheelchair and with serious indications of torture.<ref name=":022">Template:Cite news</ref>
Dawid Kostecki 2019-08-02 Template:Flag Suicide by hanging Light heavyweight boxer Convicted for drug trafficking, car theft, running a prostitution escort ring, and income tax evasion.
Jeffrey Epstein 2019-08-10 Template:Flag Suicide American financier and convicted sex offender Death of Jeffrey Epstein
Richard Huckle 2019-10-13 Template:Flag Stabbed to death British serial sex offender and paedophile
Anthony McKnight 2019-10-17 Template:Flag Unknown<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Serial killer and rapist
Ivan Milat 2019-10-27 Template:Flag Natural causes Serial killer
Lawrence Bittaker 2019-12-13 Template:Flag Natural causes Serial killer and rapist, one of the "Tool Box Killers"
Phillip Carl Jablonski 2019-12-27 Template:Flag Unknown<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Serial killer

2020s

Name Date of death Nationality Cause of death Known for Comments
Roy Norris 2020-02-24 Template:Flag Natural causes Serial killer and rapist, one of the "Tool Box Killers"
Lonnie David Franklin Jr. 2020-03-28 Template:Flag Unknown Serial killer, better known as the "Grim Sleeper"
Shady Habash 2020-05-01 Template:Flag Alcohol poisoning Filmmaker Was imprisoned without trial for making a music video for the exiled Egyptian rock musician Ramy Essam, that mocked Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Carlos Ernesto Escobar Mejía 2020-05-06 Template:Flag (detained by Template:Flag) COVID-19 The first immigrant to die from COVID-19 in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
David Owen Brooks 2020-05-28 Template:Flag COVID-19 Murderer
Eddie Mosley 2020-05-28 Template:Flag COVID-19 Serial killer and rapist
Rocky Beamon 2020-06-10 Template:Flag Suicide Murderer
Mário Calixto Filho 2020-06-17 Template:Flag COVID-19 Politician, journalist and businessman Convicted of government procurement fraud<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Manuel Machado Alvarez 2020-07-03 Template:Flag (detained by Template:Flag) COVID-19 Murderer
Scott Erskine 2020-07-03 Template:Flag COVID-19 Serial killer and rapist
Mahendra Yadav 2020-07-05 Template:Flag COVID-19 Politician
Andrey Yezhov 2020-07-06 Template:Flag Suicide by hanging Serial killer and rapist
Chua Ser Lien 2020-07-08 Template:Flag Suicide Former cleaning company director and convicted kidnapper Sentenced to life imprisonment and three strokes of the cane in 2004. Suffered from bipolar disorder, which worsened during his final years before he died. Found eligible for parole in 2023
Nelson Meurer 2020-07-12 Template:Flag COVID-19 Politician, mayor of Francisco Beltrão Convicted on corruption and money laundering charges
Moussa Benhamadi 2020-07-17 Template:Flag COVID-19 Politician and researcher
David Romero Ellner 2020-07-18 Template:Flag COVID-19 Journalist and lawyer, Liberal party congressman and former mayor of Tegucigalpa
Jaybee Sebastian 2020-07-18 Template:Flag COVID-19 Kidnapper and carjacker
Jorge Villavicencio 2020-07-20 Template:Flag COVID-19 Former Guatemalan Minister of Public Health and Social Assistance Was arrested over corruption accusations.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Azimzhan Askarov 2020-07-25 Template:Flag Pneumonia Human rights activist, investigator of police brutality Arrested and prosecuted on charges of creating mass disturbances, incitement of ethnic hatred, and complicity in murder.
Essam el-Erian 2020-08-13 Template:Flag COVID-19 Vice Chairman of the Freedom and Justice Party Arrested during the 2011 Egyptian revolution
Édouard Karemera 2020-08-31 Template:Flag (detained by Template:Flag) COVID-19 Politician convicted of genocide
Maxim Martsinkevich 2020-09-16 Template:Flag Official version: Suicide Neo-Nazi activist and vlogger
Horst David 2020-11-08 Template:Flag Unknown Serial killer The investigation of his murder of the prostitute Fatima Grossart is considered a milestone in German criminal history because it was the first time that a crime that had occurred almost 20 years ago could be solved with the help of the automated fingerprint identification system.
Peter Sutcliffe 2020-11-13 Template:Flag Complications from diabetes, hypertension and COVID-19 infection Serial killer
Anthony Hardy 2020-11-25 Template:Flag COVID-19 Serial killer, the "Camden Ripper"
Anthony Casso 2020-12-15 Template:Flag COVID-19 Underboss of the Lucchese crime family
Donato Bilancia 2020-12-17 Template:Flag COVID-19 Serial killer
Romell Broom 2020-12-28 Template:Flag COVID-19 Murder of Tryna Middleton.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Sofia Zhukova 2020-12-29 Template:Flag COVID-19 Serial killer Being 80 years old at the time of her last murder, she was the oldest serial killer in the history of Russia and the Soviet Union.
Salvador Franco 2021-01-03 Template:Flag Tuberculosis and malnourishment.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Pemon political prisoner Franco had COVID-19 and that for months suffered from gastrointestinal diseases related to the insalubrity of his penitentiary center, losing a large amount of weight in detention. There was a court order for his transfer to a health center, but it was ultimately ignored.<ref name=":032">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":17">Template:Cite web</ref>
Phil Spector 2021-01-16 Template:Flag Complications from COVID-19 American music producer Was convicted of the 2003 murder of actress Lana Clarkson and was serving a 19 years to life prison sentence at the time of his death.
Nathaniel Burkett 2021-01-19 Template:Flag COVID-19 Serial killer
Daniela Figueredo 2021-03-13 Template:Flag Gunshot Young detainee Shot in the face by a police officer and killed at the age of nineteen.<ref name="DW">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Human rights activists declared that the incident occurred when the officer tried to sexually abuse her.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Antonio Sanchez 2021-03-27 Template:Flag Unknown Politician, mayor of Calauan
Bernie Madoff 2021-04-14 Template:Flag Chronic kidney disease<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="mastermind">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="disgraced">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="deadat82">Template:Cite news</ref> Fraudster
Vitold Ashurak 2021-05-21 Template:Flag Official version: Cardiac arrest Political and ecological activist Sentenced to five years for his role in the 2020–2021 Belarusian protests, died four months after his imprisonment, the official cause of death is disputed
John McAfee 2021-06-23 Template:Flag “Everything points to death by suicide,”<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> according to the Guardian, except a previous statement: 'If I suicide myself, I didn't.' <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Founded the software company McAfee Associates in 1987.
Nyan Win 2021-07-20 Template:Flag COVID-19 Member-elect of Pyithu Hluttaw and Aung San Suu Kyi's personal attorney
Yevgen Sotnikov 2021-08-06 Template:Flag Murder Judoka Imprisoned for killing an 18-year old.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Robert Martin Gumbura 2021-08-07 Template:Flag COVID-19 Pastor Was convicted with four counts of rape and possession of illegal pornographic material and sentenced to 40 years in prison.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Hugo Salas Wenzel 2021-08-11 Template:Flag Unknown General of the Chilean Army Was sentenced to life for human rights violations in the 1980s.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Hissène Habré 2021-08-24 Template:Flag COVID-19 5th president and dictator of Chad
Abimael Guzmán 2021-09-11 Template:Flag Suicide by starvation<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Maoist guerrilla leader and terrorist
Raúl Baduel 2021-10-12 Template:Flag Official version: cardiorespiratory arrest caused by COVID-19 Venezuelan general and former defense minister The official cause of death is disputed by his family
Gilbert Dragon 2021-11-17 Template:Flag COVID-19 Police chief and commander in the National Revolutionary Front for the Liberation and Reconstruction of Haiti
Hamdi Hassan 2021-11-25 Template:Flag Unknown<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Member of the House of Representatives of Egypt and the Muslim Brotherhood
Stephen Bouquet 2022-01-05 Template:Flag COVID-19 Killed nine cats
Robert Durst 2022-01-10 Template:Flag COVID-19 Murderer
Stephen Kovacs 2022-01-12 Template:Flag Suicide by hanging Saber fencer and fencing coach Charged with multiple counts of sexual assault, endangering the welfare of a child and false swearing.
Hugo Torres Jiménez 2022-02-11 Template:Flag Natural causes Sandinista guerrilla, brigadier general in the Nicaraguan Armed Forces
Soumeylou Boubèye Maïga 2022-03-21 Template:Flag Unknown Former Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Mali
Dmitry Kolker 2022-07-02 Template:Flag Unknown Physicist, head of the Laboratory of Quantum Optical Technologies of Novosibirsk State University Arrested on suspicion of state treason in June 2022.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Robert Hanssen 2023-06-05 Template:Flag Colon cancer<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> FBI agent Charged with selling U.S. intelligence documents to the Soviet Union and Russia over 22 years.
Ted Kaczynski 2023-06-10 Template:Flag Suicide by hanging Eco-terrorist, the "Unabomber"
Ales Pushkin 2023-07-11 Template:Flag Unknown Artist and painter, awarded with the Belarusian Democratic Republic 100th Jubilee Medal
Gennady Lopyrev 2023-08-16 Template:Flag Official version: Leukemia Former lieutenant-general in the FSO and overseer of various construction projects, including Putin's palace at Gelendzhik Imprisoned in the IK-3 prison in 2017 for taking bribes, the official cause of death is disputed<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Anthony Sully 2023-09-08 Template:Flag Natural causes Serial killer and police officer
Doug Clark 2023-10-11 Template:Flag Natural causes Serial killer
Alejandro Muyshondt 2024-02-07 Template:Flag Official version: Pulmonary edema Politician The official version is disputed and his family believes that he died from torture.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Alexei Navalny 2024-02-16 Template:Flag Official version: Blood clot detachment Russian opposition politician Death of Alexei Navalny
Ihar Lednik 2024-02-20 Template:Flag Issues after an operation of the gastrointestinal tract Belarusian opposition activist Sentenced to three years for the "defamation" of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> in prison he was routinely abused by the jailers<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Victor Farrant 2024-05-03 Template:Flag Unknown Murderer and rapist
Ian Watkins 2025-10-11 Template:Flag Stabbed to death Former Lostprophets singer and child sex offender Sentenced in 2013 to 29 years and 6 years on extended licence for multiple child sexual offences; in prison he was regularly attacked by inmates.

See also

References

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