Jesse Spencer
Jesse Spencer, 27, died on October 5, 2023, while held in the restrictive housing unit at the Tecumseh State Correctional Institution in Nebraska. His brother, Ashley Sharp, remembers him as a curious problem-solver with a big imagination, and said that when they talked on the phone he was still his little brother. The Nebraska Department of Correctional Services said a fire set in his cell led to his death, and that staff found him unresponsive. A State Patrol investigator told a grand jury the death was accidental, and no one was criminally charged. A department review criticized the staff response, including a delay of more than an hour and a half in reaching his cell and the medical response, and the cause and manner of death remain under investigation.
Cause of death, as reported: Died in an accident (neglect alleged). A State Patrol investigator told a grand jury the death was accidental, while the department's internal review criticized staff for taking nearly two hours to reach his cell and for the medical response.
Reported by: Nebraska Department of Correctional Services (the agency that held him); Nebraska State Patrol investigator Amy Thompson (outside investigators); Nebraska Department of Correctional Services internal review (the agency that held him).