Troubled former Husker Lawrence Phillips is suspected of killing his cellmate at a California prison.

The 39-year-old Phillips was once one of the top college football players while at Nebraska. His NFL career included stops in St. Louis, Miami and San Francisco.

Phillips is already serving a sentence of more than 31 years after being convicted of twice choking his girlfriend in 2005 and later driving his car into three teens after a pickup football game.