KUNA, Idaho — The Ada County Sheriff's Office is investigating the homicide of an inmate at an Idaho Department of Correction facility.
IDOC reported the apparent beating death of Gerald B. Cummings Jr, 57, on Saturday. ACSO says deputies arrested Cummings' cellmate, Colton J. Reagan, 25 of Meridian, on the charge of first-degree murder.
Prison officials moved Reagan to a different cell on the IDOC campus after he was arrested on the new charge.
Prison officials started their investigation around 2:25 a.m. Saturday when they found there had been an altercation in the cell. Cummings was found unresponsive with injuries consistent with a beating.
IDOC says staff initiated lifesaving measures and called 911. Ada County Paramedics responded, consulted a physician and declared Cummings dead at 3:38 a.m.
A news release from ACSO says detectives spent much of Saturday morning collecting evidence and doing interviews. Reagan and Cummings Jr. were the only two people in the cell at the time, according to ACSO.
According to the Associated Press, Cummings Jr. was serving three sentences for possession of a controlled substance. He would have finished his sentence in July 2025.
