Eric Queen
Eric Queen, 28, had been held on death row at Central Prison in North Carolina for about seven years. On August 5, 2007, officers found him hanging from a bed sheet in a janitor's closet, and the state Department of Correction described his death as a suicide, saying staff had no signs he was suicidal. His attorney, Marilyn Ozer, said he suffered from a type of schizophrenia and that long-standing mental illness led to his death, and she said that two months before he died he had sent her a hopeful thank-you letter. The department said it would review the policy that allowed people held at the prison access to the janitor's closet.
Cause of death, as reported: Died by suicide. The state Department of Correction said staff had no signs he was suicidal, while his attorney argues that long-standing mental illness led to his death.
Reported by: state Department of Correction (the agency that held him); his attorney.