US Middle School Murderer Dies Under Mysterious Circumstances in Prison at Age 31

Lured Friend to Bathroom and Murdered
Died Suddenly After 17 Years in Prison
Cause Suspected to Be Drug Overdose

Michael Hernandez attending a trial at the Miami-Dade County Court in the United States in March 2004. He was sentenced to life imprisonment and died suddenly at the age of 31 after serving 17 years.

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-ju] A man in the United States who killed a friend during middle school was sentenced to life imprisonment and died suddenly at the age of 31 after serving 17 years. The cause of homicide has not been disclosed, but some have suggested that drug overdose was the cause of death.

According to CBS News and others in the U.S. on the 2nd (local time), Michael Hernandez, who was incarcerated at Columbia County Jail in Florida, died on the 29th of last month.

In 2004, while attending Southwood Middle School in Palmetto Bay near Miami, he lured his classmate Jamie Goff to the bathroom and killed him.

Hernandez was fascinated by serial killers, and it was investigated that he researched related crimes on the internet and even made a hit list.

He took Goff, saying he had something to show before class started, locked him inside a bathroom stall, stabbed him more than 40 times with a weapon, and slit his throat, causing his death.

After Goff’s body was discovered, a teacher found bloodstains on Hernandez’s clothes and reported it to the police, leading to the crime being uncovered.

At that time, he also tried to take another friend to the bathroom, but that friend sensed something suspicious and did not follow.

At trial, Hernandez claimed, "I suffer from mental illness. Please take this into consideration," but it was not accepted, and he was convicted in 2008.

The cause of his death has not been disclosed. However, it is reported that there were no signs of homicide.

According to closed-circuit television (CCTV), Hernandez suddenly collapsed and died.

Some speculate that the cause of death was an overdose of drugs smuggled in from outside.

Upon hearing the news of Hernandez’s death, Goff’s parents said, "We did not want this outcome," and "Thinking about what kind of person our child, who would now be 31 years old, would have become brings us longing and sorrow," showing their shock.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.