Inmate strangles, mutilates cellmate—then comes to breakfast wearing his ear as a necklace: Report

An inmate housed in a Florida prison reportedly strangled his cellmate, mutilated his body, and came to the prison’s cafeteria wearing the man’s ear as a necklace before guards realized something was wrong.

Sources revealed to the Miami Herald that the unnamed inmate at Columbia Correctional Institution killed Larry Mark, 58, (pictured) Thursday morning in the annex, which is disjointed from the prison’s main building. The newspaper said the Florida Department of Corrections (DOC) and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) have been tight-lipped about the incident, declining to reveal the identity of Mark’s alleged killer.

Despite this, two prison sources said the inmate was angry at Mark for bothering him. Moreover, three sources alleged the inmate cut off Mark’s ear and gouged out his eyeballs after strangling him.

The Herald noted that the barbaric slaying occurred hours before two rival gangs engaged in a knife fight over smuggled contraband. The Gainesville Sun reported that four people were hospitalized in connection with the altercation.

That stabbing incident reportedly occurred in the main building, which the Herald said operates independently from the annex.

Records indicated that Mark was serving a life sentence for a 1981 murder of a cab driver. Mark, then 20, and another 20-year-old hailed a cab then bludgeoned the driver to death. They then robbed him of $35 and his wedding ring, according to the newspaper.

The DOC confirmed that Mark’s next of kin have been notified.

“Any loss of life at the hands of an inmate is intolerable, and we are working with our partners at FDLE to investigate this death and ensure anyone responsible is held accountable to the fullest extent of the law,” DOC Secretary Julie Jones said in a statement issued to The Gainesville Sun.

 

[Featured image: Larry Mark/Florida Department of Corrections]