WEST LIBERTY, Ky. (LEX 18) — Questions continue to mount surrounding the death of an inmate at the Eastern Kentucky Correctional Complex who died while shoveling snow in freezing temperatures overnight on Tuesday.
Marvin Knuckles was working on prison grounds early Tuesday morning when he fell down a steep, icy embankment, according to the Morgan County Coroner. He was pronounced dead a few hours later.
The incident has raised concerns about why inmates were performing outdoor labor in dangerous conditions during the overnight hours when temperatures were well below freezing.
"We don't understand why inmates would be out that time of morning. It was probably 10 below zero shoveling snow, and I said it couldn't have been snow - had to be ice," said Rita Alexander, Knuckles' sister.
LEX 18 Investigates
Family seeks answers after inmate dies while shoveling snow in dangerous weather
During a Team Kentucky update where Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear announced more than 10 people died in connection to the winter storm, LEX 18 asked him about Knuckles' death.
"I'm concerned anytime we lose someone that's in state custody in one of our corrections institutions or outside of it," Beshear said. "KSP has an investigation. There's going to be a full review and evaluation from the justice cabinet. I don't know any of the facts first-hand, but [what] I want to make sure is that the full truth comes out and that we're fully transparent. Decisions - made good or bad - they deserve to be seen by that family and everyone else."
The Morgan County Coroner said it could be a month or more before autopsy results are available to determine Knuckles' cause of death.
The investigation will examine whether prison protocols were followed or broken in the incident.
