Inmate arrested after apparent beating death at Idaho prison

BOISE (Idaho Statesman) — An inmate at the Idaho State Correctional Institution was believed to have been beaten to death early Saturday by another inmate, according to the Idaho Department of Correction and the Ada County Sheriff’s Office.

An as yet unnamed suspect has been arrested.

At 2:25 a.m., security workers at the prison south of Boise “responded to an altercation” in a housing unit, according to a news release. Gerald B. Cummings Jr., 57, was found unresponsive “with injuries that appeared consistent with a beating,” the release said.

Security workers began lifesaving efforts, and Ada County paramedics responded. A physician declared Cummings dead at 3:38 a.m., the release said.

The Sheriff’s Office will lead an investigation into the suspicious death at the medium-security men’s prison, the release added. The other inmate was arrested on suspicion of having inflicted the beating, according to Patrick Orr, a spokesperson for the Sheriff’s Office.

Cummings was serving out three sentences for possession of a controlled substance convictions in Twin Falls County District Court, according to court records. He would have completed his final sentence in July 2025, according to Department of Correction records.