CUMBERLAND COUNTY, Pa. — A Cumberland County judge held charges against a man accused of murdering his cellmate in prison for court at a preliminary hearing yesterday, according to the Cumberland County District Attorney's Office.
This means that the judge believes there is enough evidence against Shaquille Gibson, 30, to suggest that he did in fact kill Bernard Grover, 57.
During the hearing, the judge heard testimony from a corrections officer from State Correctional Institution Camp Hill and a Pennsylvania State Police trooper. The testimony alleged that Gibson brutally beat his cellmate to death on July 2 by hitting himwith a closed fist in the head and then kicking or stomping the victim’s head.
The DA's Office says an expert in forensic pathology reviewed the autopsy, and in their opinion, the cause of death was multiple traumatic injuries and the manner of death was homicide.
Grover (Alias: Kevin Beattie), from Philadelphia, was found unresponsive in his cell by prison staff after Gibson allegedly told them that he would not be leaving the cell that morning for his morning medication. When a staff member went to check on the victim, they allegedly found him laying on his bunk, bloodied. He was later confirmed to be dead, and prison staff say that when they found Gibson, his shoes and socks appeared to be bloody.
Gibson admitted to beating his cellmate to death after lockdown the evening before in the manner described at testimony over an "ongoing disagreement," according to a criminal complaint.
Pennsylvania State Police say a review of surveillance footage showed that no one other than Gibson entered or exited his and Grover's cell during the time the beating would have occurred.
Grover was serving a 22-to-55-year sentence for a burglary conviction out of Philadelphia, officials said. He had been an inmate at SCI-Camp Hill since Feb. 3, 2023.
Gibson is charged with first and third degree murder. His formal arraignment is scheduled for Oct. 21, according to court documents.
