Antonio Williams
Antonio Williams, 34, died at the Harris County Jail in Houston on February 19, 2015. The sheriff's office said he was found in his cell early that Thursday morning and pronounced dead at 1:48 a.m., and that the death is being investigated with the district attorney's office. His attorney, Patrick McCann, says the death was apparently a suicide by hanging with shoelaces, that Williams was in good spirits when a cousin spoke with him the day before, and that he had no reason to take his own life. His family's lawsuit, filed by his mother, says he had been taking medication for depression, was reportedly held in isolation without supervision from mental health staff, and that county officials failed to protect him. The sheriff's office said it did not know how he had shoelaces in his cell.
Cause of death, as reported: Died by suicide (disputed; neglect alleged). The sheriff's office describes an apparent suicide by hanging and is investigating, while attorney Patrick McGann questions the circumstances and calls for an independent investigation, and the family's lawsuit says county officials failed to protect him, noting he was in isolation without mental health supervision.
Reported by: Harris County Sheriff's Office (the agency that held him); his family's lawsuit and attorney Patrick McGann (family or their lawyers).
Lawsuit: His mother sued county officials, alleging they failed to protect him from suicide at the Harris County Jail, and no settlement or award amount has been reported.