A man who is accused of killing fellow inmate in the Hill County jail on Nov. 17, pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to a charge of deliberate homicide, according to the Havre Herald .
Jesse Valdez also faces a felony burglary charge related to an incident in which he allegedly kicked in the door to someone’s home, as well as two misdemeanor charges. Those charges relate to the incident that originally landed him in the Hill County Detention Center.
Valdez was arrested four days before Gordon Cochran , who was arrested on charges of disorderly conduct and resisting arrest on Nov. 16. Court documents state Cochran was killed during a fight in his cell with Valdez.
Detention officers, who were alerted by other inmates, could not find a pulse after finding Cochran’s body. By the time he was taken to the hospital in Havre, Cochran was declared dead. He was 54 years old.
Valdez remains in custody in the Hill County Detention Center on a $500,000 bond.
