David Dowdell
David Dowdell, 65, of Southeast D.C., was a patient at Saint Elizabeths Hospital, the city's psychiatric hospital, when he died there on March 9, 2022. Court documents say another patient strangled him in his bedroom, and a medical examiner pronounced him dead at 3:56 a.m. from trauma and strangulation. Police say a fellow patient is suspected in his death. The hospital's internal investigation and a police investigation are underway.
Cause of death, as reported: Killed by another person in custody. Court documents say a fellow patient strangled him, and the medical examiner listed trauma and strangulation as the cause of death; Metropolitan Police say a fellow patient is suspected in his death.
Reported by: court documents; the medical examiner; Metropolitan Police Department (outside investigators).