More than two dozen protesters gathered outside Prince George's County Correctional Center Friday morning, hoping to send a message about the death of 19-year-old accused cop killer Ronnie White while in custody.

The People's Coalition for Police Accountability says the case demonstrates the criminal justice system is broken in Prince George's County.

One of the advocates for reform is Dorothy Elliott, whose son was killed while in police custody in 1993.

"I put myself in the place of the family--and the mother especially. And there's a hole that never closes," said Elliott. "The circumstances may be different, but the concerns are the same. How could a person be killed inside a jail?"

Elliott's group argues White's death was a breakdown of due process for White, his family and, by extension, his alleged victim, Sgt. Robert Findley.  The group argues all were denied the rights guaranteed by our justice system, among them White's right to face his accuser and defend himself.

"Because what happened here is a lynching. It was a lynching, there's no question about that," said coalition member Rodney Green. "They may as well have pulled him out, castrated him, hang him up on that pole and burned him."

The group's concerns are shared by many in the community.

"Even though he did make a mistake, he shouldn't have been murdered like this," said District Heights resident Armando Floyd.

"It is an injustice against this young man," added District Heights resident Mary Floyd. "If he did something wrong, he did wrong--let the judicial system take care of it. They took it upon themselves to kill him."

The medical examiner's preliminary report found that White was a victim of homicide. The autopsy revealed two broken bones in his voice box -- signs of strangulation. White died during a 20-minute window in his maximum security, solitary confiment cell Sunday morning. While Maryland State Police and FBI (web) agents interview corrections officers, sources say the medical examiner, Dr. James Locke, could be reviewing the case.