Man incarcerated in Tucson prison for 2004 Phoenix murders dies

Julie Luchetta, Arizona Republic
·3 min read

A man incarcerated at a Tucson state prison died over the weekend, the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry reported on Monday.

Michael C. Walton, 39, died in what the Department described as an "apparent act of self-harm by hanging." Walton was found unresponsive by prison staff early on Sunday morning and was pronounced dead by medical personnel on scene, representatives for the Department said.

Walton had been incarcerated at the Tucson correctional facility since 2009 following sentencing in Maricopa County on three counts of first degree murder and one count of robbery.

Walton was convicted of killing roommates Ryan Theraldson, 24; Carlena Hahne, 27; and Philip Shanoff, 22, in a central Phoenix condominium in 2004, according to an Arizona Republic article at the time.

"All inmate deaths are investigated in consultation with the county medical examiner’s office," the Department said. No further details on Walton's death were released.

Walton's death comes a month after the suicide of another inmate at a prison in Florence and amidst reports of an inmate being repeatedly pepper-sprayed while he harmed himself during a mental health crisis.

Since July 2021, the Department reported 623 instances of inmates self-harming, including 43 suicide attempts resulting in three deaths. From 2010 to 2021, 97 inmates in Arizona State prisons have died from suicide.

According to numbers released by the Department and analyzed by KJZZ, incidents of self-harm within the Arizona inmate population has been sharply rising in the last five years. A study released by the Bureau of Justice Statistics in October showed suicides increased by 85% in state prisons and 61% in federal prisons from 2001 to 2019.

Following a 2012 class-action lawsuit alleging the Arizona Department of Corrections provided inadequate medical, dental and mental health care to incarcerated inmates, the state entered a settlement in 2014 to address the issue. The lawsuit alleged that inmates were forced into extreme social isolation and deprivation, which has been shown to severely impact their mental health.

In the years since, the ADC was ordered to pay millions of dollars in fines for not complying with the settlement. In July 2021, Federal U.S. District Judge Roslyn Silver reordered a trial against the Department, citing the state's repeated failure to provide appropriate health care to inmates in its custody.

Suicide and crisis hotlines for Arizonans

If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, here are resources available in Arizona:

  • Dial 2-1-1 to reach 211 Arizona. The same number will connect callers to Resilient Arizona Crisis Counseling Program.

  • The National Suicide Prevention Line is available 24/7 at 800-273-8255 in English and 888-628-9454 in Spanish. It's free and confidential for those in distress who need prevention or crisis resources for themselves or loved ones.

  • La Frontera Empact Suicide Prevention Center's crisis line serves Maricopa and Pinal counties 24/7 at 480-784-1500.

  • Teen Lifeline 24/7 crisis line serves teens at 602-248-8336 for Maricopa County and 800-248-8336 statewide.

  • The Trevor Project Lifeline serves LGBTQ youth at 866-488-7386.

Reach breaking news reporter Julie Luchetta at jluchetta@arizonarepublic.com.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Michael Walton, convicted in 2004 Phoenix murders, dies in prison