Cricova prison inmate found strangled

A male inmate at the correctional facility no.4 in Cricova was found dead on Wednesday, with bruising on his neck indicating strangling, the Penitentiary Department reported. The man, 27, a Gagauz ethnic, was sentenced in 2000 to 20 years' imprisonment for murder and theft. According to the Penitentiary Department, the man had never been subject to disciplinary sanctions throughout his imprisonment, although his behavior was at times deviant. It was reported that one of the man's close relatives who visited the inmate last month saw nothing unusual about his behavior, but his morale was markedly low because, as he said, he was upset that some of his fellow inmates whom he befriended were going to be released soon. The case is now being investigated by police, prosecutors, and coroners at the same time.