The Vernon Parish Sheriff's Office issued the following press release on February 19, 2021: 

At approximately 12:48 p.m. VPSO jail personnel monitoring the surveillance cameras within the jail witnessed offender, Robert Matthew Lombardo, age 46, fall to the floor in his segregation cell where he was housed alone.

Jail personnel responded to the cell immediately and began providing medical assistance and CPR to Lombardo.

Jail personnel observed some type of injury to Lombardo's left eye.

Ambulance personnel arrived on the scene and continued to preform CPR and attempted other life saving measures, but they were unsuccessful in reviving Lombardo.

Detectives arrived and processed the scene.

Jail surveillance video of Lombardo's cell was reviewed and showed Lombardo sitting on the edge of his bed. Detective's observed Lombardo take an ink pen and forcefully shove his face area down onto the end of the pen twice before falling to the floor.

Coroner personnel arriving on the scene conducted a cursory examination of the wound and were able to determine that a significant length of the ink pen penetrated Lombardo's eye and punctured his orbital socket resulting in a fatal brain injury.

The only items in Lombardo's cell at the time were personal hygiene items, writing paper, one ink pen, one western novel, and a Bible.

Lombardo had been arrested and charged with two counts of Second Degree Murder on February 16th, 2021 in relation to the murders of his father and stepmother in Jeane Chapel Trailer Park.

The investigation into this matter is ongoing.

This article originally appeared on Leesville Daily Leader: VPSO investigating death of jail inmate