Inmate accused of killing his cellmate with a bandana and sock, Texas officials say

A Texas inmate is accused of killing one of his cellmates using a bandana and a sock, officials said.

The 66-year-old cellmate, Curtis Smith, “was found face-down and unresponsive in a cell” at about 11:40 a.m. Saturday, an arrest affidavit states, according to WOAI. After Texas Rangers were brought in to investigate, they found a sock in Smith’s mouth.

The investigating deputies attempted to revive Smith, KENS5 reported, but he was pronounced dead at 12:08 p.m.

Two other men were in the holding cell at the time of Smith’s death, KSAT reported. Those inmates were Mark Anthony Wong, 52, and a 26-year-old man.

Wong and Smith had gotten into an argument that “quickly escalated,” the Bexar County Sheriff’s Department said, according to the San Antonio Express-News.

Wong told investigators that he was trying to hold Smith down after Smith was “shouting out obscenities” and threatening to assault Wong, KSAT reported. Wong said he then twisted the blue bandana around Smith’s neck tight before shoving one of the 26-year-old inmate’s socks into Smith’s mouth.

Wong also said he killed Smith because he was afraid he’d be sexually assaulted by the cellmate, WOAI reported.

“(Texas Rangers) asked Wong if Smith ever tried to rape him, touch him, or harm him, and he stated no,” the affidavit says, according to the station.

Wong was in the Bexar County Jail on charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and assault bodily injury, the Express News reported. He now faces a first-degree murder charge.

This story was originally published August 23, 2021 at 12:38 PM with the headline "Inmate accused of killing his cellmate with a bandana and sock, Texas officials say."