Family demands independent investigation into Rush City prisoner’s killing in cell

The family of a man who died in a Minnesota prison last week is demanding an thorough and independent investigation after he was believed to have been killed during a fight with a new cellmate.

Alissa Washington, executive director for the Wrongfully Incarcerated & Over-Sentenced Families Council in Minnesota, said Thursday that the inmate, 40-year-old Stephen S. Washington, was her cousin. He leaves six children and at least $20,000 in funeral costs which his family is struggling to pay.

Washington said authorities have shared little information with family as they investigate how the killing occurred. That probe is ongoing, but the Minnesota Department of Corrections said over the weekend that Washington fought with a new cellmate before authorities found him unresponsive with “obvious injuries.”

“The circumstances leading up to the incident are the focus of investigators,” the DOC said.

Court records show that Washington was sentenced to a nearly three-year prison term for felony domestic assault in 2024, but he and his cellmate were transferred from St. Cloud prison to Rush City.

“Because the investigation by law enforcement is ongoing, the DOC cannot comment at this time,” DOC Communications Director Shannon Loehrke said when reached by the Minnesota Star Tribune for comment.

“Stephen was deeply loved, and he loved his family fiercely. We are now left with unimaginable pain and countless unanswered questions about how and why this happened under state supervision,” Alissa Washington said. “We will not accept silence, delays or half-truths. We deserve, and the public deserves, to know what happened to Stephen. This is not just about our family’s loss, it’s about human dignity. Every life matters including those behind prison walls.”

Incidents at Rush City have troubled authorities and inmates for years. An inmate attacked correctional officers in August, stabbing one with a shank and injuring three others.

Inmates earlier had claimed that they were being served rotten chicken and other foods not fit for human consumption. Authorities denied the allegations and said the food met safety requirements.

In 2018, a Rush City inmate punched an officer in the face as she sat at her desk, prompting a lockdown at the prison.

The high-security prison is about 60 miles north of Minneapolis and can house up to 1,000 men. It opened in 2000 and is Minnesota’s newest correctional facility.