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Inmate serving life sentence for murder dies after fight

Posted at 5:22 PM, Jul 22, 2018
and last updated 2018-07-22 19:22:12-04

CANON CITY, Colo. (AP) — The Colorado Department of Corrections say a man has died after a fight with another inmate at the Colorado State Penitentiary.

A statement released by the department on Sunday says Thomas Laperch was taken to a local hospital on Saturday.

The statement does not include any details about how Laperch was injured. It says he died on Sunday.

The statement says the department will not release the name of the other inmate. The department’s Office of the Inspector General is investigating.

According to online records, Laperch, 27, was serving a life sentence without parole for a 2016 first-degree murder conviction.

According to the Jefferson County District Attorney’s office, Laperch stabbed his roommate, William Burchett of Golden, 20 times and tried to conceal Burchett’s body by setting the house on fire.