Inmate death at Shelton prison investigated as homicide

OLYMPIA, Wash. -- Authorities say a 57-year-old man serving a life sentence for child molestation at the Washington Corrections Center near Shelton died over the weekend and police are investigating it as an apparent homicide.

The Olympian reports the state Corrections Department said Bryan Emmal died after "sustaining injuries in his two-person cell" shortly before 10 p.m. Sunday.

Corrections officials planned to conduct a critical incident review.

Emmal was a medium-custody inmate at the prison, which houses about 1,270 men in medium, close and maximum custody. Emmal began serving a life sentence Sept. 8 after he was convicted of child molestation in Thurston County.

Emmal's cellmate, Daniel Porter, is being housed in the facility's intensive management unit pending an investigation.

Porter began serving a 15-month sentence Oct. 19 for burglary in Pierce County.