Details revealed about killer John Mansfield’s death after prison assault

John Mansfield, a convicted murderer serving two life sentences, was found dead in his prison cell at HMP Whitemoor in Cambridgeshire. Police were alerted around 4:10 PM on Sunday, and Mansfield was confirmed dead at 4:27 PM.

Mansfield was imprisoned for the brutal murder of his neighbor, 63-year-old Ann Alfanso, in Manchester in 2007. At the time of the attack, he was under the influence of a cocktail of heroin, cocaine, methadone, and morphine.

Mrs. Alfanso suffered more than 90 injuries, including more than 20 stab wounds to her head and neck. Mansfield left Mrs. Alfanso’s home with just loose change. He was sentenced to life in prison and to serve a minimum of 30 years.

Later, in 2014, Mansfield received a second life sentence after stabbing a fellow inmate with a broken plate. The judge at the time said Mansfield was extremely dangerous and unlikely ever to be safe for release.

Now in 2025, Mansfield’s death is being treated as suspicious. A 44-year-old prisoner has been arrested. The police suspect murder. The Prison and Probation Ombudsman will also be examining exposures in the case, per standard operations.

Mansfield’s case also demonstrates the role that drug abuse has played in some heinous crimes. Other examples are Bernard Fowler an 87-year-old man who was murdered by a drug-abusing man diagnosed with schizophrenia, and Joshua Jacques, an individual abusing large amounts of cannabis who murdered his girlfriend and her family.

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