Tennessee inmate Reginald Steed, charged with Pedigo’s first-degree murder, was found lifeless in his cell and pronounced dead at 12:40 a.m. Prosecutor Russell Johnson said the death showed God was the ultimate arbiter of justice; an investigation is ongoing.
Correctional officer Dustin Pedigo was killed in February at another Tennessee prison. Steed pleaded not guilty. Johnson said he was disappointed Steed would not stand trial, asserting that video of the killing and Steed’s letters, calls and statements would have secured a conviction. Johnson had said in June he would seek the death penalty.
Johnson said Davidson County District Attorney General Glenn Funk is cooperating with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation in its inquiry into Steed’s death. The TBI investigation into Pedigo’s killing is also ongoing, and a Morgan County grand jury is expected to meet in early November in that case.
