An inmate at an Arizona prison was murdered on Friday, and there's a good chance he had his junk cut off in the process.
Inmate Shannon Palmer was found unresponsive in his cell at Lewis Prison in Buckeye Friday afternoon.
He was taken to an area hospital where he was pronounced dead about 2 p.m. Friday.
Palmer was serving a three-year bid for criminal damage out of Maricopa County.
Palmer was one of the Department of Corrections repeat customers. This latest Arizona prison term was Palmer's fourth.
Arizona Department of Corrections officials say Palmer was living in a two-man cell at the prison. It's believed that his cellmate, Jasper Rushing -- a convicted murderer -- was responsible for the killing, and KPHO is reporting that during the murder, Rushing castrated Palmer.
We spoke to DOC spokesman Bill Lamoreaux, who wouldn't confirm or deny that Palmer's balls were chopped off.
"I don't know. Whatever was in the [press] release is what we know," Lamoreaux tells New Times.
The release, to which Lamoreaux is referring, makes no mention of testicles or of Palmer's rumored lack of them. KPHO's information about the castration comes from an anonymous source "with knowledge of the incident."
DOC officials say the murder is under investigation.
