ERDCC Inmate Serving Life Sentence Dies at Mercy Jefferson Hospital

Bonne Terre, Mo. (KFMO) - Joseph Whitfield, an 85-year-old resident of the Eastern Reception, Diagnostic & Correctional Center (ERDCC) in Bonne Terre, died Monday evening at Mercy Jefferson Hospital.

According to the Missouri Department of Corrections, Whitfield passed away at 5:10 p.m. on May 26, 2025. Whitfield had been serving a life sentence for murder and an additional life sentence for armed criminal action, both convictions originating from St. Louis City. He had been incarcerated in the state prison system since January 12, 1990.

An autopsy will be conducted to determine the cause of death, as required by department policy for inmate fatalities.