CNN
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According to the man’s family attorney and an independent medical investigation, the man who died inside a Georgia county jail last year was treated like a “torture chamber” until he finally died from complications stemming from severe neglect of his mental and physical health. It is said that he lived in a harsh environment. .
An independent medical review ruled LaShawn Thompson’s cause of death to be murder at Fulton County Jail in September 2022, his family’s attorney said at a news conference Monday announcing the findings.
Attorney Ben Crump said test results showed a lack of drugs in Thompson’s bloodstream, indicating that he had a “severe mental illness” and was not receiving medical treatment at the time of his death. rice field.
“(Thompson) had untreated schizophrenia at the time of his death,” Crump said. “There is no doubt that this is criminal negligence.”
Thompson, 35, died in custody last year on misdemeanor assault charges and was in the prison’s psychiatric wing due to mental health problems, according to family attorney Michael Harper. When he died in September 2022, he died after just three months in custody.
According to documents sent to CNN earlier this year, the Fulton County coroner’s office said Thompson’s cause of death was unknown. The report lists schizoaffective disorder, bipolar disorder, and acute exacerbations as “other conditions.”
An independent medical review cited “untreated decompensated schizophrenia” as the cause of death, along with dehydration, malnutrition, and severe internal insect infestation, including lice and bed bugs, with “significant symptoms”. ”.
The review was conducted by Roger Mitchell, Jr., Ph.D., board-certified forensic pathologist and director of pathology at Howard University, who served as Washington, D.C.’s chief medical examiner from 2014 to 2021.
Mitchell’s findings found that Thompson required daily care due to his mental illness, leaving a “significant gap of 43 days during which minimal records were found to indicate that care was provided.” He pointed out that there was a period
“For these reasons, it is the opinion of this forensic pathologist that LaShawn Thompson died of severe neglect,” Mitchell said in his review.
“Untreated decompensated schizophrenia combined with dehydration, rapid weight loss and malnutrition caused Lashawn Thompson to develop a fatal cardiac arrhythmia. If he had received proper care while he was alive, he would not have died,” Mitchell said.
Fulton County Sheriff Patrick “Pat” Rabat said in a statement Tuesday that he had not yet had a chance to fully review the independent autopsy report.
“But even before this report was published, it was painfully clear that there were many missteps that led to Mr Thompson’s tragic death,” he said.
“I have already held the senior staff responsible for prison administration accountable by demanding and accepting the resignation of the Chief Warden, Deputy Chief Housing Warden and Deputy Chief Warden of the Criminal Investigation Department. If the case is turned over to the (Georgia Department of Investigation) for review, it could have implications for those found to have been negligent in caring for Mr. Thompson,” the statement added.
“I will continue to work hard to ensure that the Thompson family gets the answers they need and deserve about the unconscionable circumstances surrounding Mr. Thompson’s death.”
Kendall Von Crowns, chief medical examiner for Tarrant County, Texas, who reviewed and analyzed CNN’s report, said it was very difficult to determine the circumstances of the death based on the independent report.
“I couldn’t call this a homicide outright based on what I just saw. I would actually fit the initial report of still undecided,” he said.
“Malnutrition and dehydration appear to be the cause of death,” said Von Crowns, without seeing the original autopsy, toxicology report or photographs of Thompson’s body.
In some cases, people with lice can scratch their skin, causing bacterial infections such as cellulitis and impetigo, but lice did not cause Thompson’s death, Von said. Mr Crowns said.
“Based on the limited information we have, it looks like dehydration or malnutrition rather than a louse infestation, because there’s indications that he had an allergic reaction to lice. Nothing, because they didn’t say there was an allergic reaction.” Nor does it say there is such a thing as a large-scale skin infection. So it is clear that dehydration and malnutrition were likely the cause of his death,” he said.
Dr. Von Crowns agreed with an independent medical investigation that Thompson’s schizophrenia may have contributed to his death.
“Without proper treatment, the underlying mental illness can get worse, which can also fall under the category of neglect,” he said.
Thompson’s severe malnutrition and severe dehydration, like his prison conditions, are signs of neglect, but the extent to which his untreated mental illness affected him is clear from independent medical research. isn’t it.
“So I agree that there is some degree of neglect as part of this. That’s it,” Von Clowns added. In some cases, refusal to eat or drink in people with schizophrenia can lead to self-neglect.
The degree of neglect ultimately plays a big part in determining how Thompson dies.
“When neglect is caused by a caregiver or another caregiver, it usually falls within the category of homicide if the caregiver knows that the caregiver is intentionally and unduely withholding considerations that would fall under the category of homicide. will come in,” said Von Crowns.
At a press conference in April, the family and lawyer held up a photo that allegedly showed conditions in Thompson’s cell.
“The cell he was in was not suitable for housing sick animals.
Thompson’s family has repeatedly called for a criminal investigation into Thompson’s death and for the facility to be closed and a new one built.
On Monday, NAACP Georgia chapter president Gerald Griggs said those involved in Thompson’s death should be held criminally negligent. Griggs called on Gov. Brian Kemp to increase state funding for mental health.
“(Thompson) was innocent and was just being held in custody. It shouldn’t have led to his death,” Griggs said.
After the Chief Warden and two Assistant Wardens at Fulton County Jail resigned at the sheriff’s request, the Sheriff’s Office announced that it would spend 500,000 dollars “to combat the infestation of bed bugs, lice and other pests” in the prison. Officials last announced they had allocated an emergency fund of dollars. Month.
Last month, the sheriff’s office said it had also begun the process of transferring more than 600 inmates to other counties “at an average cost of about $40,000 a day to alleviate overcrowding.”