Danny Pham
Danny Pham, a 27-year-old man, died on July 3, 2017, in a shared cell at the Orange County jail, where he was held. His family's attorney, Michael Guisti, described him as a sweet, well-liked young man and the youngest in his family, and said he had been a cosmetology student. A wrongful death claim filed on his family's behalf says his cellmate strangled him, that security video captured the killing, that deputies placed him with a cellmate they knew was violent, and that jail staff falsified safety check logs afterward. Officials have not released a cause of death and said the death is still under investigation, with five employees placed on paid leave during an internal probe.
Cause of death, as reported: Killed by another person in custody (disputed; neglect alleged). Pham's family's wrongful death claim, filed by attorney Michael Guisti, says his cellmate strangled him and that deputies knowingly housed him with a violent cellmate and staff falsified safety check logs afterward, while officials say only that the death is under investigation.
Reported by: Orange County Sheriff's Office (the agency that held him); Pham's family's wrongful death claim (attorney Michael Guisti) (family or their lawyers).
Lawsuit: His family filed a wrongful death claim through attorney Michael Guisti over his 2017 death in the Orange County jail, alleging his cellmate strangled him, and no settlement or award amount has been reported.