Inmate killed at Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility

An incarcerated man was beaten to death Sunday morning at Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility, one of the city’s jails along State Road in Northeast Philadelphia, authorities said.

A correctional officer noticed the 59-year-old inmate lying unresponsive on the floor of his cell, according to a statement from the Philadelphia Department of Prisons. Medics responded and performed CPR, but he died on-site just before 9:45 a.m., authorities said.

The Medical Examiner’s Office identified him as Mike Osborne and found that he died of blunt force trauma. An MEO spokesperson said Osborne’s death was classified as a homicide.

The man’s cellmate, a 26-year-old man, was immediately removed from the cell and relocated to a different section of the prison, according to police. PPD and PDP are investigating the killing. Neither department has publicly identified the victim or his cellmate.

Osborne has been incarcerated since late November, when he was charged with attempted murder, aggravated assault and other crimes. Court records indicate he was being held on $750,000 bail, of which he would have had to post 10% to be released.

His death came less than a week after a Jan. 22 stabbing at CFCF that left two male inmates injured. PDP officials said the incident occurred “during a fight involving multiple incarcerated people.”

The 59-year-old inmate is the second person to die in PDP custody this year. Ernest Reid, 43, who was incarcerated at Riverside Correctional Facility, died at Nazareth Hospital hours after telling correctional officers he was coughing up blood and having trouble breathing, prison officials said.

Reid’s relatives reached out to Metro, and they are questioning whether he received proper and prompt medical attention.

In 2023, 14 inmates died in the city jails, up from 10 deaths the year prior.

PDP has been dealing with a severe staffing shortage – with around 40% of correctional officer positions unfilled – and is being monitored by a federal court as part of a settlement stemming from a class action lawsuit brought by inmates over prison conditions. A fourth and potentially final report from that court monitor is due in March.