An independent autopsy provided through the #KYRC Autopsy Initiative revealed severe malnutrition, starvation, dehydration, and extensive insect infestation as contributing factors to the death of Ramon McGhee, a 42-year-old Memphis man represented by civil rights attorney Ben Crump.
"We had a preliminary autopsy performed independently by the family," said Crump during a press conference. "It was paid for by Colin Kaepernick's Autopsy Initiative, which he has done in many cases. The one that's most similar in this matter is the tragic death of Lashawn Thompson."
McGhee was found unresponsive in his cell in Shelby County Jail, covered in bed bug bites and feces, and was pronounced dead at the hospital two days later.
"They found [insects] in his head, and his hair, his face, his nose, his mouth, his chest, his public area, front and back, his arms, his legs," Crump said.
Crump and McGhee's family are demanding both criminal culpability and civil accountability for his death. Despite efforts by Choat to provide her son with meals, McGhee suffered from starvation and neglect while in custody.Â
"I was sending him food from iCare Gifts that they sent to the prisons, and I was sending it to him three times a week. So, I couldn't understand how he was starving when I was sending him meals," said Choat.
The devastating revelation of Ramon McGhee's death due to severe malnutrition, dehydration, and insect infestation in #ShelbyCountyJail underscores the urgent need for abolitionist reforms within the criminal justice system. McGhee's tragic demise, compounded by the negligence and inhumane conditions he endured while incarcerated, epitomizes the systemic failures and dehumanization rampant within correctional facilities. McGhee's family's demand for both criminal and civil accountability echoes the broader call for justice and underscores the imperative of dismantling oppressive systems that perpetuate harm and neglect.
Link: ActionNewsÂ
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