Nevada prison inmate’s death ruled an accident

George R. Papania, 71, died April 4 at Valley Hospital Medical Center in Las Vegas after being housed in the High Desert State Prison’s infirmary, the Nevada Department of Corrections said in April.

On Tuesday, the coroner’s office said Papania died from complications after breaking his left femur in a fall. The coroner’s office ruled his death an accident.

Significant conditions in Papania’s death were heart problems, a blood disorder and liver damage, the coroner’s office said.

Papania was committed from Nye County in June 2016 and was serving two consecutive sentences of one year to two years, six months for manslaughter and the miskeeping of vicious or dangerous animals, the corrections department said.

Papania was a breeder of Italian greyhounds. He was charged with two counts of willfully and maliciously torturing or unjustifiably maiming, mutilating or killing a dog, according to a Review-Journal article from November 2015.

A District Court jury found Papania guilty in 2015 under tougher provisions enacted after the Nevada Legislature approved Cooney’s Law, which went into effect in 2011.

Contact Katelyn Newberg at knewberg@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0240. Follow @k_newberg on Twitter.