Indiana man serving 20-year sentence dies at federal prison in Michigan

MILAN, Mich. (AP) — An Indiana man serving a 20-year sentence for producing child abuse images died at a federal prison in Michigan, authorities said Tuesday.

Romio Hawkins, 26, was found unresponsive Monday at the Milan prison, and life-saving efforts were not successful, the U.S. Bureau of Prisons said in a statement.

“We have no additional information to provide,” the prison said in response to questions about the manner of Hawkins’ death.

Hawkins, who was from Portage, Indiana, had been at Milan for 13 months after pleading guilty in 2022 to producing child sexual abuse images.

Hawkins was accused of manipulating a teen girl to send him sexual images of a younger child. In a court filing, prosecutors acknowledged that he had “serious mental health issues” and a difficult childhood but said those conditions didn’t excuse his actions.

Milan is a low-security prison, 50 miles southwest of Detroit.