Demetric Cowan
Demetric Cowan, 38, died on March 13, 2016, while held in a holding cell at the Greenwood County Detention Center in Greenwood, South Carolina. His widow, LaKrystal Coats, sued several officers, saying they ignored his obvious medical needs and did not get him care after he told staff he had taken drugs. According to the lawsuit, video of his final 20 minutes shows repeated seizures while staff remarked that he was detoxing, and EMS was called only shortly before he was pronounced dead. An autopsy listed drug toxicity as the cause of death, and the defense's expert says his death was most probably not preventable because of cocaine he had ingested.
Cause of death, as reported: Died of an overdose (disputed; neglect alleged). An autopsy, cited by Solicitor David Stumbo, lists drug toxicity from cocaine, and a defense expert says it was most probably not preventable; his widow's federal lawsuit alleges officers ignored his medical needs and delayed calling EMS until he had no pulse or breathing.
Reported by: autopsy report as cited in a letter from Eighth Circuit Solicitor David Stumbo (medical examiner or coroner); LaKrystal Coats, widow, through her federal lawsuit (family or their lawyers); James E. Aiken, expert witness for the widow's lawsuit (family or their lawyers); Dr. Kim Collins, defendants' expert; Incarceration Transparency (advocates).
Lawsuit: His widow, LaKrystal Coats, sued several Greenwood County detention officers and sheriff's office employees over his death, and the lawsuit was still pending in the reporting, with no settlement or award reported.
Sources (4)
- Incarceration Transparency, South Carolina Deaths Behind Bars (Prof. Madalyn Wasilczuk and Incarceration Transparency)
- Greenwood detention center inmate's widow sues, alleges neglect in husband's death - Index-Journal
- Pretrial interviews reveal more about Greenwood inmate's last moments - Index-Journal
- Unreleased video of Demetric Cowan's death described in expert report - Index-Journal