State Correctional Institution – Somerset Explained

Prison Name:State Correctional Institution - Somerset
Location:Somerset Township / Brothersvalley Township, Somerset County, Pennsylvania
Status:Open
Classification:Medium security
Capacity:1,600[1]
Opened:1993
Managed By:Pennsylvania Department of Corrections

State Correctional Institution – Somerset is a medium-security, all-male correctional facility located outside Somerset, Pennsylvania, about 70miles southeast of Pittsburgh, and about 5miles off the Somerset Interchange of the Pennsylvania Turnpike. In March 2024, 44 of Pennsylvania's death row inmates were moved to Somerset.[2] They were previously at SCI Phoenix, which continues to house other death penalty prisoners.[3]

Almost all of the prison is in Somerset Township,[4] while a small portion is in Brothersvalley Township.[5] The total land area is 240acres.[3]

Construction of SCI - Somerset

SCI – Somerset was constructed at a cost[1] of $82 million and was completed in 1993. The prison was constructed on the site of a farm. The campus covers 63 acres, inside and outside the perimeter fence.

Notable Inmates

width=13%Inmate Namewidth=10%Register Numberwidth=28%Statuswidth=35%Details
Eric FreinMY0275Sentenced to death.Perpetrator of the 2014 Pennsylvania State Police barracks attack in which he murdered Bryon Dickson and injured another officer.[6] [7] [8] [9] After a large state-wide manhunt, Frein was captured and tried for his crimes.[10] [11] [12] [13]
John EichingerGL3402Sentenced to death.[14] Convicted of murdering 4 people.[15]
James David MartinGN0771Serving a sentence of 22-to-44 years.Murdered 3 people between 1989-2005.[16] [17] [18]
Richard Andrew PoplawskiKB7354Sentenced to death.[19] Perpetrator of the 2009 shooting of Pittsburgh police officers in which he murdered three cops after a 9-1-1 call from his mom's home.[20] [21] [22]
Raghunandan YandamuriLU3857Sentenced to death.[23] Convicted of the kidnapping-murder of Saanvi Venna and murdering Satyavathi Venna.

See also

References

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Notes and References

  1. "New Somerset Jail Ready For Dedication" - Gettysburg Times, 4/13/1993 (Retrieved 5/6/2011)
  2. News: 44 death row inmates now being housed at SCI Somerset. Wojcik. Baylee. WJAC-TV.
  3. Web site: Hurst. David. DOC: Some Pa. death row inmates now housed at SCI-Somerset. The Tribune-Democrat. 2024-03-02. 2024-07-18.
  4. Web site: 2020 CENSUS - CENSUS BLOCK MAP: Somerset township, PA. 4 (PDF p. 5/5). U.S. Census Bureau. 2024-07-18. State Correctional Institution Somerset.
  5. Web site: 2020 CENSUS - CENSUS BLOCK MAP: Brothersvalley township, PA. U.S. Census Bureau. 2024-07-18. State Correctional Institution Somerset.
  6. News: Fitzsimmons . Emma G. . 2014-09-13 . State Police Officer Dies in Pennsylvania Ambush . 2024-01-30 . The New York Times . en-US . 0362-4331.
  7. Web site: 2014-09-18 . Eric Frein At Large as Mourners Remember Trooper Bryon Dickson . 2024-01-30 . NBC News . en.
  8. Web site: 2014-09-16 . Eric Matthew Frein identified by police as suspect in deadly trooper ambush - CBS News . 2024-01-30 . www.cbsnews.com . en-US.
  9. Web site: Funeral for slain Pennsylvania trooper . 2024-01-30 . USA TODAY . en-US.
  10. Web site: 2014-10-31 . Eric Frein Was Dedicated to Killing Cops: Pennsylvania Police . 2024-01-30 . NBC News . en.
  11. Web site: Welch . Michael Winter, John Bacon and William M. . Manhunt ends with suspect placed in slain trooper's handcuffs . 2024-01-30 . USA TODAY . en-US.
  12. News: Barbash . Fred . 2021-10-25 . ‘Literally hunting humans’: Eric Frein, sniper who killed Pa. trooper, sentenced to death . 2024-01-30 . Washington Post . en-US . 0190-8286.
  13. Web site: 2017-04-27 . Eric Frein, trooper ambush killer, sentenced to death in Pennsylvania - CBS News . 2024-01-30 . www.cbsnews.com . en-US.
  14. Web site: Gibbons . Margaret . 2005-11-09 . Jury gives killer death . 2024-05-16 . Mainline Media News . en-US.
  15. Web site: 2005-12-13 . Eichinger confronted by loved ones of victims . 2024-05-16 . Mainline Media News . en-US.
  16. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1989/05/06/police-theorize-arundel-youth-was-killed-for-his-air-jordans/f5dc8ea5-376e-44bc-9ee2-19dff47c514b/
  17. Web site: 2012-05-10 . Suspect James Martin arraigned in 1998 rape & murder of Bronx teenager . 2024-05-16 . New York Daily News . en-US.
  18. News: Wilson . Michael . 2012-05-11 . 14 Years in an Unmarked Grave, and Finally a Break in the Case . 2024-05-16 . The New York Times . en-US . 0362-4331.
  19. Web site: 2011-06-28 . Cop-Killer Richard Poplawski Sentenced To Death . 2024-01-30 . WPXI . en.
  20. News: ROBBINS . LIZ . HAMILL . SEAN D. . 2009-04-04 . Gunman Kills 3 Police Officers in Pittsburgh . 2024-01-30 . The New York Times . en-US . 0362-4331.
  21. Web site: 2009-04-04 . Gunman Kills 3 Pittsburgh Police Officers - CBS News . 2024-01-30 . www.cbsnews.com . en-US.
  22. Web site: 2009-04-07 . 911 worker didn't tell Pittsburgh police of guns . 2024-01-30 . NBC News . en.
  23. Web site: COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA v. RAGHUNANDAN YANDAMURI (2017). FindLaw. 6 April 2024.