Macon man killed in fight with another inmate at a Georgia prison, authorities say

A Macon man was killed in a fight with another inmate at Telfair State Prison on Friday night, authorities say.

Marcus Derrelle Pearson, 28, was pronounced dead at 8:15 p.m. at the prison in Helena, said Bibb County Coroner Leon Jones, who had a telephone conference call Saturday with the coroner there and Pearson’s father.

The cause of death was “blunt force trauma,” Jones said.

“He got into a fight with an inmate,” Jones said.

Pearson’s death is being investigated as a “suspected homicide” by special agents with the Georgia Department of Corrections’ Office of Professional Standards, according to a DOC news release.

The death investigation is being conducted in conjunction with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation per standard procedure, the release said.

Pearson was serving a 20-year prison sentence for a 2008 armed robbery in Bibb County, according to DOC online records. He was expected to be released early.

Pearson was expected to be released no later than July 28, 2021, three days after what would have been his 30th birthday, according to information on the DOC website and from Jones.

Pearson was just shy of turning 17 when he committed the armed robbery July 7, 2008. He started serving his sentence on June 2, 2009, according to DOC online records.

Pearson’s father declined comment Saturday.

This story was originally published May 30, 2020 at 3:55 PM.