Pennsylvania Department of Corrections, Pennsylvania
End of Watch: Tuesday, March 20, 1979
Age: 60
Tour of Duty: 28 years
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Assault
Date of Incident: March 20, 1979
Weapon Used: Blunt object; Bat
Suspect Info: Death sentence overturned
Captain Felix Mokychic was beaten to death by an inmate who attacked him with a baseball bat at Graterford State Prison.
The inmate had hidden the baseball bat under his prison overcoat as he exited the exercise yard and attempted to gain access to the prison's C-block, where Captain Mokychic was checking passes.
When the inmate failed to present a C-block pass Captain Mokychic pushed him to the side and then turned his back to continue checking additional inmates. The inmate then took the baseball bat from underneath his coat and began beating Captain Mokychic over the head with it, stopping several times to check if Captain Mokychic was still breathing.
The 28-year-old inmate was sent to prison for life in 1971 for firebombing his ex-girlfriends home killing three people. He was convicted of first-degree murder in connection with Captain Mokychic's death. He was sentenced to death but that sentence was later overturned by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.
This is the last uniformed photo of Captain Mokychic. He was survived by his wife and siblings.