The family of a 40-year-old from St. Paul who died at the Rush City prison this month has called for transparency and accountability from the Minnesota Department of Corrections (DOC) and other agencies.
Stephen Washington’s death on October 9 remains under investigation. Preliminary information indicates that he “and his cellmate were involved in a dispute that ultimately turned violent,” said Shannon Loehrke, DOC communications director.
Alissa Washington, cousin of Stephen Washington and executive director of the Wrongfully Incarcerated and Over-Sentenced Families Council-Minnesota, expressed the family’s concerns. She stated they “don’t have clear answers about what happened to him, how he was housed, who his cellmate was, what risk assessments were done and what red flags were missed.” She called on DOC Commissioner Paul Schnell to release the full timeline of events, housing decisions, incident and investigation reports, and “any video footage that can illustrate what happened to Stephen.”
“The safety of those individuals housed in DOC facilities remains our priority,” Schnell said in a statement. “The death of Mr. Washington is tragic, and we await the findings of the investigation to fully understand what motivated this incident.”
The DOC’s Office of Special Investigations is working on the case alongside the Chisago County Sheriff’s Office and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. Once the investigation is complete, the case will be submitted to the Chisago County Attorney’s Office for review and possible criminal charges, according to Loehrke.
The subject of the investigation has been transferred to the state’s maximum security facility in Oak Park Heights and is currently in administrative segregation pending the investigation’s completion.
### Advocate: Prisons Have a ‘Responsibility’ for Those Inside
Stephen Washington was a father, entrepreneur, and football enthusiast who played at Minneapolis’ Edison High School, said Alissa Washington. He most recently lived with his aunt in St. Paul.
“He was only 40 years old,” his cousin said. “We had a lot more years with each other. He was coming home soon.”
Washington was sentenced in December to 2¾ years in prison, with credit for 173 days already served, following a domestic assault conviction in Hubbard County. He was also sentenced in March to 2½ years in prison, with credit for 271 days served, for third-degree assault committed at the Ramsey County jail.
According to a criminal complaint, a correctional officer overheard Washington and another inmate arguing in their cell. When the other man walked away and declined to fight, the officer opened the door to prevent an incident and attempted to remove the other inmate. The officer then witnessed Washington “sucker punch” the other man from behind, knocking him to the ground and punching him multiple times in the face.
“Regardless of why a person is incarcerated, prisons have a very clear and simple responsibility to those inside of their walls,” said Vash Lamp of the Minnesota Anti-War Committee. “Just because someone is serving a sentence does not make them less than human and undeserving of basic human rights, such as safety.”
Fundraising efforts are underway on GoFundMe to cover Washington’s funeral expenses. “The facility that is responsible for his needless death has determined that they are only responsible for covering about $1,500” of the funeral costs, Lamp stated. The DOC provides assistance to cover basic funeral or cremation expenses, Loehrke added.
### Became Cellmates the Day of Death
Alissa Washington urged the DOC to enforce its cellmate policies “consistently across all facilities.” She noted that the DOC’s own audit materials indicate criteria for incarcerated individuals to request specific cellmates, which helps reduce incompatibility and incentivizes positive behavior.
Her family was informed that Stephen Washington’s cellmate had requested a roommate change away from him. The two men had become cellmates only on the morning of October 9, according to Loehrke.
Shortly before 1:30 p.m. that day, correctional officers were called to a cell where a person was down. Washington was found injured and later pronounced dead.
Alissa Washington also called on the state to take “serious action on overcrowding, which drives risk for everyone.”
“The Minnesota Rehabilitation and Reinvestment Act is already law and is designed to shift the focus of corrections from how much time someone spends behind bars to how they spend that time with rehabilitation, accountability, and reintegration,” she said.
The act was implemented two years ago, with only six people released under it so far, although many more are eligible, said Josh McMillen of the Minnesota Incarcerated Workers Organizing Committee.
“Why are we double bunking? Why are we not releasing people who have met the criteria?” McMillen asked.
The Rush City prison has always operated with double bunking, according to Loehrke. She also noted, “There is no indication that MRRA would have prevented this incident from occurring.”
https://www.twincities.com/2025/10/23/rush-city-prison-death-stephen-williams/
