'Such a waste of life': Mum's emotional tribute to son murdered in prison
A community leader has paid tribute to her adopted son after he died in prison following an alleged attack from a fellow inmate.
Alex Cusworth, who was 37, had been jailed for eight years for beating his landlord in Teignmouth, in Devon, with a broom stick, almost killing him.
But just months into serving time at Dartmoor Prison, he was fatally wounded with a carving knife in the prison kitchen last Thursday.
He died in Derriford Hospital a short time after the incident.
Stafford Borough Councillor Ann Edgeller, who represents the Baswich ward, adopted Cusworth.
He was born and raised in Stafford and had been looked after by the councillor and her late husband Howard Cusworth from the age of nine.
She said: "Alex was doing really well and we had all been hoping that when he came out of prison, he could live a normal adult life, because he really didn't have a normal childhood.
"It is such a needless death and such a waste of a life."
Mrs Edgeller had been due to visit Cusworth in prison the weekend before his death.
But she could only speak to him on the telephone after her car broke down four miles short of completing the journey, meaning she missed her allotted time slot.
She said: "We spoke on the phone and the last thing he said to me was 'don't worry mum it's not your fault'."
Cusworth was supported by Teignmouth Baptist Church prior to his prison sentence.
The church will hold a special service for him on Sunday.
Councillor Edgeller added: "He was making such good progress and I just thought that after nearly 30 years of fighting for him, there was going to be a light at the end of the tunnel. I could see it, he was off drugs and was making such good progress."
William Tolcher, aged 50, has been charged with murdering Cusworth.
The fellow prison inmate appeared at Central Devon Magistrate's Court in Exeter this week.
He has not yet entered a plea and will appear for a preliminary hearing on December 21.
He has been remanded in custody.
A Prison Service spokesperson said: "HMP Dartmoor prisoner Alexander Cusworth was pronounced dead in hospital on Thursday 26 November.
"A police investigation is ongoing so it would be inappropriate to comment further at this stage."
