State prison inmate found dead in his cell earlier this week

A state prison inmate has died of an apparent suicide.

The Department of Corrections says 60 year old John Lewis was found unresponsive in his cell at the Jameson Annex to the South Dakota State Penitentiary July 13, 2022. Efforts to resuscitate Lewis were unsuccessful.

Lewis was serving two life sentences for attempted first-degree murder and an additional 120 years for grand theft, possession of a controlled weapon and possession of a controlled substance. All of the convictions are from Minnehaha County.