Joseph TuiHONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) -
A 76-year-old inmate was fatally beaten by a cellmate at an Oahu jail who was accused of assault and had a history of mental problems.
The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reports that jail overcrowding led officials at the Oahu Community Correctional Center to put Cyrl Chung in a cell for misbehaving inmates with 32-year-old Joseph Tui Jr.
A grand jury has indicted Tui with first-degree for the March 9 slaying.
Chung was placed in the special holding cell because he was caught with contraband cigarettes. Tui was there because he threatened a staff member.
Chung was waiting for more than two years in jail for his robbery trial. His lawyer at the state Public Defender's Office said he was trying to negotiate a plea deal to avoid dying in jail.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
