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Wabash Valley Inmate Charged With Murder Of Another Prisoner

During the first three federal executions in July following a 17-year hiatus, troopers shut main roads to the Federal Correctional Complex in Terre Haute. (WFIU/WTIU News)
During the first three federal executions in July following a 17-year hiatus, troopers shut main roads to the Federal Correctional Complex in Terre Haute. (WFIU/WTIU News)

A Wabash Valley Correctional Facility inmate was charged with murder Tuesday in the slaying of another prisoner in May, state police said.

Derek Romano, 29, of Indianapolis was charged in connection with the death of Jeremiah Roberts, 32, of Nacogdoches, Texas, police said. Romano was already serving a sentence for murder.

Roberts was found unresponsive May 3 in his cell at the southwestern Indiana prison. He had been incarcerated since January 2017 on murder and robbery convictions, the Indiana Department of Correction website said.

Romano’s arrest came a day after state police said they were investigating as a homicide the death of another Wabash Valley inmate who was found unresponsive Sunday in his prison cell. Foul play is suspected in the death of Kevin J. Carpenter, 57, of Churubusco, police said.

Payton Whaley is from a small rural town outside St. Louis. He later moved out east to get a bachelor's degree in journalism from Virginia Tech. He started at WTIU and WFIU in 2018 making web content to put his bad internet habits to good use. He wrote this bio in third person so it didn't sound so narcissistic.