A 22-year-old Halawa prison inmate beat a fellow prisoner to death Wednesday morning at Halawa Correctional Facility, police said.

Police arrested James Lawrence Gouveia at about 11:20 p.m. Wednesday on suspicion of second-degree murder after an argument between the two men led to a fight.

Gouveia allegedly punched the 46-year-old inmate several times in the prison yard at about 8:30 a.m., police said. The victim was taken to a hospital, where he died.

Gouveia was brought to the main police station cellblock, where he remains in custody.

The Medical Examiner's Office did not identify the victim and did not provide a cause of death yesterday.

Gouveia was convicted Aug. 12 of violating the terms of a court agreement (deferred acceptance of a guilty plea) on his 2006 conviction of three counts of unauthorized control of a propelled vehicle, a Class C felony.

He was resentenced to five years' imprisonment.