Derick Coley
Derick Coley, 29, was held at the Cummins Unit prison in Lincoln County, Arkansas, and died there in May 2020. His former GED teacher called him one of the most enjoyable people she had known, and his sister described him as her best friend, while his girlfriend was raising their eight-year-old daughter with him. His family says he grew weaker in isolation, and that a medical episode occurred around the time of unrest at the prison. Other prisoners said they told guards he could not breathe, and nurses gave him chest compressions after he collapsed; the Department of Corrections said it did not consider his death COVID-related, and the autopsy had not been released when the article was published.
Cause of death, as reported: Died of illness (disputed; neglect alleged). The family says he had COVID-19 and that staff sent him to isolation despite low oxygen and stopped recording his vital signs, while other prisoners say they told guards he could not breathe, and the Department of Corrections says his death was not COVID-related.
Reported by: Arkansas Department of Correction (Cummins Unit) (the agency that held him); Derick Coley's family (Cecelia Tate) (family or their lawyers); other prisoners at the Cummins Unit (witnesses).