Jeffrey A. Bell Jr.
Jeffrey A. Bell Jr. is survived by his parents, Jeffrey A. Bell Sr. and Rogena McGarry, and by two teenage daughters. He died on March 31, 2024, at SCI Smithfield, a state prison in Huntingdon, while in the custody of the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections. His family's federal wrongful death complaint says he was found hanging in his cell a few days after he arrived at the prison and that his death was ruled a suicide. The family's lawsuit alleges that prison staff ignored his mother's warning that he was suicidal and did not place him on suicide protocol. State reporting to the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency also lists the manner of death as suicide.
Cause of death, as reported: Died by suicide (disputed; neglect alleged). The Pennsylvania Department of Corrections lists the death as a suicide by hanging, while his family's federal wrongful death lawsuit says staff ignored his mother's warning that he was suicidal and did not place him on suicide protocol.
Reported by: Pennsylvania Department of Corrections (the agency that held him); his family's federal wrongful death lawsuit (family or their lawyers).
Lawsuit: His family sued in federal court over his death at SCI Smithfield, alleging prison staff ignored his mother's warning that he was suicidal; no settlement or award amount is reported.