An inmate at the Phoenix State Correctional Institution killed his cellmate inside the facility earlier this month, according to court records filed Thursday.

Nathan Blose, 40, has been charged with first- and third-degree murder in connection with the death of Shaun Harden. who was found dead in his cell on 1 Novemberaccording to the probable cause affidavit for Blose’s arrest.

Blose, of Coaldale, Schuylkill County, remained in custody, denied bail due to the nature of the charges he faces. There was no indication that he had hired a lawyer.

Harden, 45, was found unresponsive on the floor of his cell early Nov. 1 in a pool of blood, according to the affidavit. Prison staff tried to revive him, but he was pronounced dead at 6:29 am

He had hemorrhages to the neck, chest and back, the affidavit said, and the cause of death was determined to be “multiple blunt force injuries.” The exact nature of the injuries remained unclear.

In an interview with detectives, Blose confirmed that he and Harden were the only two people in their cell between late Oct. 31, when Blose was returned there by guards, and the morning he was found dead, according to his own affidavit. liability.

Harden, of Nemacolin, Greene County, serve four to eight years in state prison after being convicted in 2015 of aggravated battery on a child, corruption of minors and related offenses. According to an article in the Washington County Observer-Reporter, Harden fondled an 11-year-old girl and two boys, ages 11 and 12, in separate incidents between June and October 2014.

Blose, meanwhile, was convicted of a firearms violation in September 2020 and sentenced to 3½ to seven years in state prison.

The charges stemmed from an incident in October 2019 when Blose was admitted to the emergency room at St. Luca Miners Memorial Hospital in Coaldale, according to court records. A doctor at the hospital discovered that Blose was carrying a loaded gun while examining him.

The doctor took the gun, which Blose described as a “family heirloom,” from Blose’s waistband and gave it to a security officer, per hospital policy, records say.

A security officer later asked Bose if he had a permit to carry a concealed weapon. When the records showed he didn’t, the Coaldale police came to arrest him. During the scuffle, authorities said, Blose headbutted and injured one of the officers and was taken into custody.

Blose could not legally own a gun because of a prior drug conviction, court records show.

Harden’s death was second time this year an inmate was killed in SCI Phoenix.

In August, Dwight Williams stomped Ashokkumar Guru to death inside his cell, according to prosecutors. Williams, 42, was charged with first- and third-degree murder and is awaiting trial in Montgomery County.