Federal penitentiary for manslaughter?
Shouldn't it be state prison?
shareFederal murder/manslaughter charges depends on the victim and/or the circumstances of the death. If the death occurred during drug trafficking, crossing state lines, in a body of water etc, then it's federal jurisdiction. As far as victims: elected/appointed Federal officials, Federal Judge or LEO (which also can include an immediate family member of a LEO), during the commission of a federal offense like bank robbery and kidnapping.
shareOn the face of it the drunken thug who was offed fits into none of those categories. Still, I don't think this is a film you are meant to analyse too much. Poe being jailed at all, let alone in a federal prison, seemed like an unlikely plot convenience.
"Chicken soup - with a *beep* straw."