Areon Marion
Areon Marion was 22 years old. A federal judge found that his mother, Joanna Wilson, had been his primary caregiver, supporting him emotionally and financially through most of his life, and that she lost a great deal of his companionship. Marion died on October 31, 2021, at Cook County Jail in Illinois, where, according to the judge's opinion, he had been assigned to a psychiatric unit for psychosis and had repeatedly expressed suicidal thoughts. The opinion says a correctional officer who was supposed to check on him every 30 minutes left his post, and Marion hanged himself during that absence. A federal judge later awarded more than $880,000 from a wrongful-death settlement to his family, including his two brothers.
Cause of death, as reported: Died by suicide (neglect alleged). A federal judge's opinion in a wrongful-death settlement says a correctional officer left his post during required 30-minute checks while Areon Marion, who had repeatedly expressed suicidal thoughts, hanged himself.
Reported by: U.S. Magistrate Judge Young B. Kim, in an opinion on a wrongful-death settlement (court).
Lawsuit: His family sued over his death, and a federal judge approved a wrongful-death settlement of more than $880,000 for them.