3 state inmates with COVID-19 die within 10 days of each other Updated Dec 21, 2020; Three state inmates in their late 60s and early 70s who had COVID-19 died within 10 days of each other, the Alabama Department of Corrections announced Monday. They marked the 47th, 48th and 49th deaths of COVID-19 positive state inmates since the pandemic began. Two of the inmates tested positive for the coronavirus before their deaths while a third’s COVID-19 diagnosis was found following an autopsy. Larry Gene Knight, 72, who was serving a life sentence at St. Clair Correctional Facility for murder that occurred in Marshall County, died Dec. 12 in the prison’s infirmary.