Murderer's prison death natural, inquest finds
Cleveland PoliceA murderer died in prison from natural causes, an inquest has found.
Michael Heighton was jailed for life with a minimum term of 12 years in 2009 for the murder of Karen Leonard, 40, in Middlesbrough.
He died aged 65 at HMP Frankland in Durham in December 2024 after illnesses linked in part to alcohol abuse led to his health deteriorating, his inquest in Crook heard.
County Durham and Darlington coroner Crispin Oliver said doctors had raised concerns Heighton's healthcare might have been neglected in prison, but after investigation no concerns were found.
Heighton admitted strangling Ms Leonard with the chord from an iron and stabbing her seven times with scissors at his home in April 2009.
At the time, Cleveland Police said her death bore a "chilling similarity" to that of her mother, Karen Storey, who was strangled with a wire and stabbed by David Hauxwell in Darlington in 1990.
The inquest heard officers from Durham Police were called to the prison shortly after 05:00 GMT on 10 December 2024 as Heighton, who had been receiving palliative care, had died.
Heighton had been an inmate at the category A prison on the outskirts of Durham since 2015, and in its healthcare unit since 2020 due to a deterioration in his physical condition linked to alcohol abuse, the inquest heard.
By 24 November 2024 his condition had worsened to the point where he needed to be taken to the University Hospital of North Durham, Oliver said.
Staff there were concerned he might not have been "treated properly" at prison due to him being underweight and the presence of severe pressure sores, the inquest heard.
He was then moved to Sunderland Royal Hospital for further treatment before returning to Frankland's inmate inpatient unit a couple of days before he died.
Home Office pathologist Dr Louise Mulcahy carried out a post-mortem examination and concluded he died from a combination of pneumonia, infection and weakened heart.
She said the presence of pressure sores did not necessarily indicate he had received poor care, the inquest heard, with it not being possible to determine from his injuries alone.
The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman (PPO) also carried out a clinical review, which concluded the treatment Heighton received in Frankland was "in line" with his care plans, Oliver said.
The PPO reviewer said they had "no concerns" about the care the prison provided.
The coroner said Heighton had "long-term health problems" which "severely debilitated him" and led to a decline in his condition.
Having heard the evidence of the PPO and pathologist, Oliver concluded Heighton "died a natural death".
