Maine inmate awaits sentence for killing cellmate over cigarettes

ROCKLAND, Maine (AP) - A prisoner who killed his cellmate in a fight over cigarettes is due to be sentenced this week.

Zachary Titus pleaded guilty to manslaughter in December and is due to be sentenced on Friday. Under a plea agreement, the murder charge was reduced to manslaughter and the sentence capped at 12 years.

Witnesses told investigators that Titus put Dana Bartlett in a chokehold while the two fought over cigarettes on June 24, 2018, at the Bolduc Correctional Center.

An autopsy revealed Bartlett died from strangulation.