A 33-year-old inmate at the Hutchinson Correctional Facility in Kansas, Chancellor Copenhaver, was found unresponsive in his cell on the morning of December 4, 2024.
Facility staff attempted life-saving measures, which continued when emergency medical services arrived, but they were ultimately unsuccessful. The cause of death remains undetermined pending the results of an independent autopsy. Copenhaver was serving a 121-month sentence for multiple convictions in Riley County, including attempted second-degree murder, attempted kidnapping, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, aggravated battery, aggravated burglary, and stalking.
This marks the second inmate death at the facility in five months, following the death of 36-year-old Matthew Dean Warren in July 2024. Warren had been serving a 130-month sentence for aggravated assault, aggravated burglary, theft, and criminal damage to property in Reno County.
Both deaths are under investigation by the Kansas Department of Corrections and the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, as part of standard protocol. Officials have not indicated any connection between the incidents, and further details are expected following the autopsy and ongoing inquiries.
