He would have NEVER made it into the general population. If he would have gotten killed in prison, it would have had to be done with the help of the guards....which isn't an impossible thing, but in this case would draw to much attention.
I would bet my last dollar, this was his plan right from the start. The girls wanted him to suffer for life in prison, they expressed that adamantly, and thought death was to good for him. The police found a suicide note from years ago, when they searched the crime scene. This was his final "fuck you" to the people of Cleveland, but more importantly, to the girls he felt were his.
Personally, I'm glad. Three hots, and a cot for the rest of this scumbags life, would be coming out of my tax dollars.