PHOENIX (AP) - Authorities say a Maricopa County Sheriff's Office detention officer who was comatose after being attacked by a jail inmate has died.
The Sheriff's Office said in a brief statement Officer Gene Lee died Wednesday night after earlier saying the inmate accused of attacking Lee has been transferred to a jail in Pinal County.
Sheriff's Paul Penzone said in a videotaped statement that 59-year-old Daniel Davitt attacked Lee without provocation Tuesday morning by grabbing Lee by his throat from behind and knocking his feet out from under him.
Penzone said Lee's head hit the cement floor and he never regained consciousness.
Davit awaits trial on charges of sex crimes involving children and is representing himself in court.
