Inmate convicted of assaulting cellmate at Skippack Township prison

A Montgomery County jury convicted a Skippack Township inmate of assaulting his cellmate at SCI Phoenix during an incident that occurred two days before he allegedly murdered another cellmate. 

Nathan David Blose, 41, of Coaldale, Schuylkill County, was convicted Wednesday of misdemeanor simple assault for the Oct. 30, 2024 attack, according to The Mercury. Judge Thomas M. DelRicci deferred sentencing until a later date, possibly until after the end of Blose's upcoming murder trial. 

Blose faces a possible maximum sentence of one to two years in prison on the assault charge, per The Mercury.

“We are happy that the jury did their job in this case, deliberated fairly with the evidence that was presented and gave us a verdict in this case,” Assistant District Attorney Gabriella Eileen Glenning said in the report, adding she and prosecutor Robert George will seek jail time.

Blose was incarcerated at SCI Phoenix on five to 10-year prison sentence on gun charges in 2019 in his hometown, per the report.

Jason Joyce, 53, of Philadelphia, testified at the assault trial that on Oct. 30, 2024, he was sitting at the desk in his cell when fellow inmate Nathan David Blose, 41, of Coaldale, Schuylkill County, came up from behind and put him in a chokehold, according to a report from The Mercury.

“I tried to take a breath. There was none there,” Joyce said from the witness stand. “I was just trying to get out some words so I didn’t die.”

Joyce said he briefly lost consciousness and awoke to find Blose still choking him under the bunk, per the report. When Blose loosened his grip, Joyce testified, he pleaded, “Please don’t kill me,” to which Blose allegedly responded, “Shut the [expletive] up or I’ll break your neck," according to testimony.

Joyce told jurors that there had been no arguments or hostility between them in the 36 hours they had shared the cell. After the incident, he said, Blose ordered him to tell a correctional officer he was suicidal, but instead, Joyce reported the alleged assault to prison staff, according to the article.

Assistant District Attorney Robert George told jurors the attack was “sudden” and “unprovoked,” and that Joyce was “begging and pleading for his safety” before passing out.

Defense attorney Scott Frame countered that the case is built on “inconsistent statements” from Joyce and claimed it was a “mutual fight” between the two inmates, per the article.

Joyce was serving a two-to-four-year sentence for probation violations linked to multiple retail theft convictions at the time. Medical staff documented injuries including a neck contusion and broken blood vessels in his eyes, according to court records.

Blose is on trial for strangulation and simple assault in the incident. At the time, he was serving a five-to-10-year sentence for gun offenses in Schuylkill County.

Two days after the alleged assault on Joyce, Blose’s next cellmate, 45-year-old Shaun Harden, was found dead in their cell. Blose is separately charged with first- and third-degree murder in that case, which will be tried later this year. 

Prosecutors allege Harden suffered multiple injuries to his neck, chest and back during the overnight hours of Oct. 31 to Nov. 1, 2024.

The trial before Judge Thomas M. DelRicci is expected to conclude this week.

Read more on the trial here.

All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using public court records.