Frank Travis McDevitt
Frank Travis McDevitt was 42, and his mother said he lived with mental illness and should never have been housed with other people at the Prichard City Jail. On August 31, 2008, another man held at the jail beat him, and Frank died of head injuries at a hospital a week later. Police treated his death as a homicide, but the charge against the man who attacked him was reduced, and the district attorney had not opened an inquiry. His mother was left asking why her son had not been protected.
Cause of death, as reported: Killed by another person in custody (neglect alleged). Police say another inmate beat him during an argument over the TV channel, and his mother says he was mentally ill and should not have been held with other inmates.
Reported by: police; his mother.