Andrew Balderrama
Andrew Balderrama, 37, of Los Angeles, was a man with mental illness, according to his parents and children, who brought a lawsuit over his death. He was held in a Los Angeles County jail in May 2023, and his family says his cellmate attacked him on or about May 14, causing brain damage and other serious injuries. He died at a Los Angeles County hospital three days later. The family says staff had recorded him as suicidal and hallucinating, that he should have been kept in a single cell, and that the sheriff's department knew of the danger and failed to protect him. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said it thoroughly investigates every in-custody death and has not accepted the lawsuit's account.
Cause of death, as reported: Killed by another person in custody (neglect alleged). Andrew Balderrama's family's federal lawsuit says his cellmate beat and choked him, and that jail staff moved him into a shared cell despite recorded suicide and hallucination concerns, failing to protect him; the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department says it does not accept the lawsuit's account.
Reported by: family and estate, in a federal lawsuit (family or their lawyers); Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (the agency that held him).
Lawsuit: His family filed a federal lawsuit over his death after his cellmate attacked him at Los Angeles County jails, and no settlement or award amount is reported.