Judge sets mental exam for Mississippi man accused of strangling inmate

Published 4:02 pm Tuesday, April 9, 2019

A judge is ordering that a Mississippi man accused of strangling his cellmate undergo a psychiatric evaluation.

The Daily Times Leader of West Point reports 20-year-old Cameron Henderson pleaded not guilty last week to first-degree murder in the March 15 death of 54-year-old Dale O’Neal.

Officials say Henderson strangled O’Neal with a two-foot-long telephone cord. The two had shared a misdemeanor cell in the jail for two days and O’Neal was scheduled to be released later that day after serving time for trespassing and failing to appear in court.

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The judge is denying bail for Henderson, saying he’ll revisit that decision after the evaluation in complete.

Henderson has a history of mental health concerns. Family members have previously sought to have him committed to a state mental hospital.