Coty Joseph Riley
Coty Riley, 31, was held in the Duval County jail in Jacksonville when he got into a fight with another person in his cell on March 4, 2022. He was taken to a hospital, where doctors found a brain bleed and performed emergency surgery, and he died there on March 19. His mother, Christina Cortez, said she had her own concerns about his death, and his obituary described him as extremely loved and missed. The medical examiner ruled the death a homicide from blunt force head trauma, while the State Attorney's Office ruled the other person's force justified and said Riley was the first aggressor; accounts in the report conflict on who started the fight.
Cause of death, as reported: Killed by another person in custody (disputed). The medical examiner ruled the death a homicide from blunt force head trauma, while the State Attorney's Office ruled the other inmate's force justified, saying Riley was the first aggressor, and witness accounts conflict on who started the fight.
Reported by: medical examiner's office (medical examiner or coroner); Jacksonville Sheriff's Office (the agency that held him); State Attorney's Office (outside investigators).