Two men have been arrested on the suspicion of murder in the death of former Lostprophets vocalist Ian Watkins. The disgraced musician was killed at HMP Wakefield in West Yorkshire, England yesterday, October 11th. Watkins, 48, was found dead in the prison while serving out a sentence of 29 years, with an extended licence of six years. That sentence was handed down in December of 2013, after Watkins was found guilty of numerous child-sex related crimes.
The West Yorkshire Police Department have now issued a statement on the matter, revealing that two individuals, one aged 25 and the other 48, were placed under arrest for suspicion of partaking in the murder of Watkins.
The Sun reported that Watkins was allegedly shanked in the neck by a fellow inmate, with his jugular being severed in the process. He was pronounced dead on the scene in the apparently pre-planned attack. The West Yorkshire Police Department’s statement read as follows:
“Detectives have launched a murder investigation after the death of a man in HMP Wakefield.
Officers were called by staff at the prison at 9.39am this morning (Saturday 11 October) to reports of a serious assault on a prisoner.
A man aged 48 was found with serious injuries. Despite medical attention he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Two men aged 25 and 43 have been arrested on suspicion of murder and are currently in police custody.
Detectives from the Homicide and Major Enquiry Team are investigating and enquiries remain ongoing.”
Watkins was one of the most high-profile inmates to be housed in HMP Wakefield, with his band having attained gold status in the United States, as well as numerous platinum, gold and silver certifications in their native UK (Wales.)
Despite the disgusting nature of his crimes, Watkins‘ fame continued past his sentencing, with the band scoring a silver certification for their 2006 single “Rooftops (A Liberation Broadcast)” in November of 2016, roughly three years years after Watkins was sentenced to prison. Watkins‘ fame, and the heinous nature of his crimes are said to have made him a target by other inmates.
In 2017, he was accused of grooming a woman while still in prison. In 2019, he was found to have been in possession of a cell phone smuggled into the prison. The phone was said to have been hidden in his anus, with Watkins telling the police he was being forced to hold onto the phone for other prisoners after having his life threatened by them.
Watkins also claimed to have been threatened by other inmates to ask his fans for money, and in 2023, was stabbed and beaten in a dispute later reported to be drug-related.
Upon learning the nature of his crimes, his former bandmates in the by then defunct Lostprophets condemned him for his behavior in a 2014 interview, stating that they had no knowledge of his behavior prior. The band’s ex-guitarist/vocalist Lee Gaze stated at the time:
“There was absolutely nothing that led us to suspect what he’d done. I think he created such a smokescreen. I hate to rely on clichés, but when you see the profile of a paedophile, he couldn’t be any further from it. He was always surrounded by all these women, so it just seemed impossible.”
