POLKTON — A Lanesboro inmate died after an apparent suicide, according to the state prison system.

Christopher Roger Blackett, 25, was found in his cell Sunday afternoon, according to Keith Acree, spokesperson for the North Carolina Department of Public Safety.

“Efforts to resuscitate him were unsuccessful and he was pronounced dead,” Acree said in a statement released Monday.

Blackett had only been at Lanesboro since his conviction on Aug. 23. He was serving a combined sentence of 26-33 years in prison for second-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder. His projected release date was June 10, 2043.

Acree said that Blackett, from California, had been a soldier at Fort Bragg and was convicted of killing his 17 year-old neighbor, Vincent Carlisle II of Spring Lake, in 2011.

The Polkton Police Department will investigate his death.

Reach reporter Imari Scarbrough at 704-994-5471 and follow her on Twitter @ImariScarbrough.

Former soldier killed teen in 2011

By Imari Scarbrough

iscarbrough@civitasmedia.com