Martin Lambert, 29, is the second inmate to die in Shelby County’s custody within a week, and the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office has taken the lead on investigating both deaths.
According to a statement released by the SCSO, corrections staff found Lambert unresponsive just after 4 a.m. Friday, Nov. 8.
He was taken to Baptist-East hospital in Memphis and pronounced dead at 5:24 a.m. The medical examiner has taken possession of the body.
Lambert arrived at the Shelby County Department of Corrections on Sept. 4 to serve a six-year sentence for being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm and a convicted felon in possession of a handgun.
Lambert was housed in an open-bay dormitory. His security classification was a minimum-level 3, and he had no disciplinary history. He was scheduled to be discharged in July 2024.
The earlier death was that of Thorne Peters, 57, on Nov. 3. Peters was an avid marijuana legalization advocate. Peters began serving a four-year sentence on Oct. 16, 2018, for possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony and possession of marijuana with intent. He was found unresponsive in his cell in the penal farm on Mullins Station.
Peters was also classified as a level 3 prisoner, and the medical examiner also took possession of his body.
