Dyteon Simpson, the man found guilty of murdering LSU basketball star Wayde Sims, was discovered dead in prison, according to the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies were notified of an unconscious male in a cell on Sunday, July 10 just before 8 p.m.
Medical personnel responded and assisted, but Dyteon Simpson, 23, was later declared dead, according to officials. On Thursday, July 7, Simpson was sentenced to life imprisonment for the 2018 killing of Wayde Sims, only months after a jury convicted him guilty of second-degree murder.
“This is sad any time someone loses their life, you know with young Wayde and now another person is now dead. I mean anytime someone loses their life regardless of who they are, where they are it’s sad,” said District Attorney Hillar Moore.
Simpson’s body was sent to the East Baton Rouge Coroner’s Office, and an initial toxicology report revealed that he had Fentanyl in his system.
The coroner’s office will conduct an autopsy to establish the ultimate cause of death, according to officials. Deputies said they’re checking into whether smuggling had a role in the man’s death.
Moore claims Simpson was undergoing the appeals process.
The Supreme Court is now deliberating whether someone, or anybody acting on their behalf, has the right to pursue the appeal process after the prisoner dies.
