In April 2017, a 50-year-old man named Sterling Cole was killed while he was an inmate at the Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His death was the result of a brutal beating inflicted by another inmate. The incident took place within the prison, and though the specific details of the altercation were not immediately made public by prison officials, it was reported that Cole was ambushed in the prison yard.
He was left with severe head trauma and was taken to Aria Health's Torresdale campus, where he remained unconscious for several days before succumbing to his injuries. The medical examiner's office officially ruled his cause of death as complications from head trauma.
At the time of his death, Sterling Cole was awaiting trial on charges of attempted murder and aggravated assault, having been incarcerated since the previous September. News of his murder was not widely disseminated by prison authorities, a silence that drew criticism and concern from his family and legal representatives. Cole's lawyer stated that he was not formally notified by the prison and instead learned of his client's death from other inmates. The family also expressed their distress, having to hear the tragic news from the attorney rather than directly from officials. Cole was a father of five and was remembered by a friend as a handyman and mason who was a loyal fan of the Philadelphia Eagles.
The investigation into Sterling Cole's murder was handled by the Philadelphia Police Department's homicide unit. Shortly after his death, a police spokesman confirmed that they had a 'person or persons of interest' in the case. However, despite the contained environment of the prison, which would seemingly make identifying the perpetrator a straightforward matter, no immediate arrests were announced. The lack of an arrest in the months following the incident led to speculation and frustration from those who knew Cole, with some suggesting that the circumstances surrounding his death were being deliberately kept quiet. Information regarding any subsequent arrests, charges, or the ultimate resolution of the case has not been made publicly available.
