Just a few hours into Terrill Thomass eighth day in solitary confinement at the Milwaukee County Jail last year, correction officers found the 38-year-old man on the ground and not moving.
He was dead.
Thomas had spent his final days begging for water, inmates later told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, because jail staff had shut off the flow to the pipes in his cell as punishment for bad behavior.
The cause of death was ultimately ruled profound dehydration and the medical examiner classified it a homicide meaning death at the hands of others an announcement that drew a torrent of rage from Sheriff David Clarke, a tough-talking and loyal President Trump surrogate.
Still, nearly a year later, no criminal charges have been filed in Thomass death.
But an inquest this week by prosecutors could shed more light on the circumstances of the case, whether someone should be held responsible and, if so, who and for what.
The first major court revelation came Monday, when prosecutors told the jury that Thomas had endured seven days without any liquid, lost 35 pounds and grown weak and quiet before he died inside his cell last year, reported the Journal Sentinel.
By the end of the week, Assistant District Attorney Kurt Benkley told jurors they would be asked to answer three questions, according to Fox 6: What was the cause of Mr. Thomas death? Was it the result of criminal activity? And if so, who committed the crime?
....
During an opening statement, Benkley said three corrections officers were captured on surveillance video cutting off Thomass water supply, reported the Journal Sentinel. They never turned it back on and failed to document the action or alert supervisors.
Inmates in solitary are only served beverages with their meals on Sundays, officer DeCorie Smith testified Monday, according to Fox 6. The other six days of the week, inmates get their water from the sinks in their cells, to which Thomas had no access.
Thomas had been moved to solitary in the discipline unit after he used his bedding to flood his jail cell in the special needs unit, where he was initially kept for his bipolar disorder.
This order to shut off Mr. Thomas water was highly irregular and contrary to standard operating procedure in the jail, Benkley said Monday, according to the Journal Sentinel.
Benkley told the jurors they will hear from fellow inmates who claim Thomas called for water. He also said there is evidence that Thomass compromised mental health made it clear he was unable to tell people about his basic needs.
....
The mans sons filed a lawsuit in federal court last month claiming their father was subjected to a form of torture during his time in solitary confinement and that officers ignored his pleas for help.
The lawsuit claimed that police took Thomas for a hospital examination after he was disruptive at the jail and showed signs of acute psychological disorders, reported the Associated Press. The hospital cleared him for transport.
Days before he died, a judge ordered a competency examination for Thomas.
We see what happened as a completely preventable death and a grave injustice of a mentally ill man, Erik Heipt, attorney for Thomass estate, told Fox 6 last month. He was in a mental health crisis, he needed help. He didnt need to be punished by throwing him into a solitary unit without water.
....
Thomas was one of four people to die at the Milwaukee County Jail during a six-month period in 2016, according to Fox 46.
In December, the U.S. Department of Justice said it would consider investigating the deaths after a congresswoman requested it. State lawmakers and an activist organization called on Clarke to resign over the deaths.
Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...dehydration/?tid=sm_tw&utm_term=.3d73125623d3
He was dead.
Thomas had spent his final days begging for water, inmates later told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, because jail staff had shut off the flow to the pipes in his cell as punishment for bad behavior.
The cause of death was ultimately ruled profound dehydration and the medical examiner classified it a homicide meaning death at the hands of others an announcement that drew a torrent of rage from Sheriff David Clarke, a tough-talking and loyal President Trump surrogate.
Still, nearly a year later, no criminal charges have been filed in Thomass death.
But an inquest this week by prosecutors could shed more light on the circumstances of the case, whether someone should be held responsible and, if so, who and for what.
The first major court revelation came Monday, when prosecutors told the jury that Thomas had endured seven days without any liquid, lost 35 pounds and grown weak and quiet before he died inside his cell last year, reported the Journal Sentinel.
By the end of the week, Assistant District Attorney Kurt Benkley told jurors they would be asked to answer three questions, according to Fox 6: What was the cause of Mr. Thomas death? Was it the result of criminal activity? And if so, who committed the crime?
....
During an opening statement, Benkley said three corrections officers were captured on surveillance video cutting off Thomass water supply, reported the Journal Sentinel. They never turned it back on and failed to document the action or alert supervisors.
Inmates in solitary are only served beverages with their meals on Sundays, officer DeCorie Smith testified Monday, according to Fox 6. The other six days of the week, inmates get their water from the sinks in their cells, to which Thomas had no access.
Thomas had been moved to solitary in the discipline unit after he used his bedding to flood his jail cell in the special needs unit, where he was initially kept for his bipolar disorder.
This order to shut off Mr. Thomas water was highly irregular and contrary to standard operating procedure in the jail, Benkley said Monday, according to the Journal Sentinel.
Benkley told the jurors they will hear from fellow inmates who claim Thomas called for water. He also said there is evidence that Thomass compromised mental health made it clear he was unable to tell people about his basic needs.
....
The mans sons filed a lawsuit in federal court last month claiming their father was subjected to a form of torture during his time in solitary confinement and that officers ignored his pleas for help.
The lawsuit claimed that police took Thomas for a hospital examination after he was disruptive at the jail and showed signs of acute psychological disorders, reported the Associated Press. The hospital cleared him for transport.
Days before he died, a judge ordered a competency examination for Thomas.
We see what happened as a completely preventable death and a grave injustice of a mentally ill man, Erik Heipt, attorney for Thomass estate, told Fox 6 last month. He was in a mental health crisis, he needed help. He didnt need to be punished by throwing him into a solitary unit without water.
....
Thomas was one of four people to die at the Milwaukee County Jail during a six-month period in 2016, according to Fox 46.
In December, the U.S. Department of Justice said it would consider investigating the deaths after a congresswoman requested it. State lawmakers and an activist organization called on Clarke to resign over the deaths.
Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...dehydration/?tid=sm_tw&utm_term=.3d73125623d3
