Billy Smith
Billy Smith was a man who left behind three children, and he was held at Elmore Correctional Facility in Alabama. A confidential state report obtained by Injustice Watch says he was injured in a fight with another man held at the prison in November 2017, and that officers then beat and restrained him while a nurse refused him treatment. He died on December 9, 2017, at Jackson Hospital in Montgomery, where a state autopsy attributed his death to blunt force brain trauma and ruled it a homicide, while the Alabama Department of Corrections publicly described it as natural. A grand jury indicted a former officer for manslaughter, the officer denies touching him, and the charges were later dismissed. His mother, Teresa Smith, said she wants accountability so that another family does not go through this.
Cause of death, as reported: Killed by staff (disputed; neglect alleged). The state autopsy attributed the brain trauma to the fight with another prisoner, while witnesses and a confidential state report say officers beat, hogtied and left him strapped to a gurney, and a nurse refused treatment; a grand jury indicted a former officer for manslaughter, and the officer denies touching him, while the corrections department had called the death natural.
Reported by: State autopsy (Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences medical examiner) (medical examiner or coroner); Alabama Department of Corrections internal report (the agency that held him); Confidential state investigators' report (outside investigators); Grand jury indictment (court); Family and their civil lawsuit (family or their lawyers); Inmate witnesses (witnesses); Injustice Watch (reporters); APR (reporters).
Lawsuit: His family filed a civil lawsuit against several officials over his death.
Sources (8)
- News report
- Billy Smith (Elmore Correctional Facility)
- Alabama inmate, guard indicted in 2017 prisoner death
- Secret report: Alabama guards allegedly beat, hog-tied, ignored inmate who later died
- A Secret Report Revealed How Prison Guards Allegedly Beat, Hog-Tied, And Ignored An Injured Inmate Who Later Died
- Alabama prison death highlights pattern of officials promoting bad bosses
- Manslaughter charges dropped for former Alabama correctional officer, prisoner