UPDATED: Inmate Strangled to Death at Oak Park Heights Prison, Says BCA

An inmate at the Minnesota Correctional Facility – Oak Park Heights died Monday, apparently at the hands of another inmate, according to a statement by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) Tuesday. 

The full text of the news release: 

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) is investigating the death of an inmate at the Minnesota Correctional Facility – Oak Park Heights. The Ramsey County Medical Examiner has identified the victim as Shane Lawrence Cooper, DOB 5-28-83. Cooper died of homicide due to strangulation.

At approximately 4:50 p.m. on Monday, December 2, Cooper was found on the floor in his cell deceased and with a ligature around his neck. A surveillance camera captured another inmate, Benjamin Heath Beck, DOB 1-6-74, entering Cooper’s cell shortly before Cooper was found deceased. BCA agents have interviewed Beck and have identified him as the sole suspect in Cooper’s death.

The BCA is conducting its investigation with assistance from the Department of Corrections Office of Special Investigations and at the request of the Oak Park Heights Police Department and the Minnesota Correctional Facility – Oak Park Heights. When the investigation is complete, the BCA will present its findings to the Washington County Attorney’s Office for review.

Victim's Record

Lawrence, 30, was about 13 months into a 96-month sentence for first-degree criminal sexual conduct, according to state court records. The crime in Duluth, included penetration and involved a person under the age of 13, according to the St. Paul Pioneer Press. The newspaper reported Beck has been incarcerated since 2007 after being convicted of aggravated robbery and first-degree burglary while possessing a dangerous weapon.
 

Related: 

• Superior Telegram: Superior man pleads guilty to sexually assaulting preteen girl
• Superior Telegram: Superior man gets 8 years for sexual assault on preteen
• Patch: Oak Park Heights Inmate Charged with Assaulting Prison Officer
• Patch: Oak Park Heights Inmate Given Three More Years 

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