How Did Tyler Perry's Nephew Die? Gavin Porter Found Dead At 26 After Hanging Himself In A Louisiana Prison
This story is so sad.
Getty Images How did Tyler Perry's nephew die? A sad situation unfolded this week for Tyler Perry's family. While serving time in a Louisiana prison, his nephew was found dead at 26 years old.
Perry's nephew, Gavin Porter, was found dead by an apparent suicide on Tuesday, February 25.
Here's everything we know so far.
1. In 2016, Porter was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
In October 2016, Porter was arrested after he and his father, Gary Wayne Porter, allegedly got into a fight at their home in Greensburg, Louisiana. When police arrived, Porter's father was dead by gunshot. Later, Porter was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to 20 years in prison after he pled no contest to Gary's death, and he's been serving time ever since.
2. How did Perry's nephew die? He was found after having hanged himself.
According to sheriff Dusty Gates, Porter was found dead in his cell on Tuesday night, having reportedly used a sheet to hang himself after he was placed under solitary confinement due to an incident that happened earlier that week. Gates said that they did not suspect it had been a homicide.
“There was no one else in the cell at the time he was found dead,” Gates said.
3. Reportedly, his family isn't convinced it was a suicide, though.
Sources close to Porter's family say they're suspicious about the true cause of Porter's death. Reportedly, Porter had gotten into a fight with another inmate over the weekend, which is what led to his solitary confinement. Around 6 PM that evening, guards checked on him and he was fine but during the 8 PM check, he was found dead. Source say his family was told he was dead by hanging and that they did not suspect foul play, but it sounds like they may not be convinced it's as simple as that.
4. His death is still under investigation.
Though the sheriff's office says they do not suspect this is a homicide, Gates did confirm that authorities are continuing to look into the circumstances around Porter's death. An investigation is ongoing at this time, and his body has been sent for an autopsy, so hopefully, his family will have more answers soon.
5. Porter was the son of Perry's sister, Melva Porter.
Perry is one of four children in his family — he has a brother, Emmbre Perry, as well as two sisters, Yulanda Wilkins and Melva Porter. Melva is Porter's mother, but that side of the family is very private — and it doesn't seem like they've released any statements on Porter's unexpected hanging, either.
6. So far, Perry himself has yet to comment.
Perry is staying quiet when it comes to his late nephew's situation. So far, he has yet to speak publicly about what happened — either on social media or in any formal capacity. It's not clear what kind of relationship Perry may have had with Porter (or the rest of his family) at the time he was convicted.
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Nicole Pomarico is an entertainment and lifestyle writer whose work has appeared in Cosmo, Us Weekly, Refinery29, and more.