Jorge Zerquera
Jorge Zerquera, 60, was the youngest son of Cuban immigrants, born in Chelsea, and had planned to move in with his sister after his release; he also wrote for Between the Bars, a blog for people in prison, and advocates say he was well liked. He died on November 17, 2023, at the Massachusetts Correctional Institution in Norfolk, where he was held. The Massachusetts Department of Correction says he died by suicide after being found at about 10:30 p.m. and taken to a local hospital, where he died about an hour later. Advocates and prisoners say he had been placed in a Behavioral Assessment Unit after an altercation with staff and had his medicine withheld, and the department has not commented on those specifics.
Cause of death, as reported: Died by suicide (disputed; neglect alleged). The Department of Correction says he died by suicide, but advocates and prisoners say he was placed in a Behavioral Assessment Unit after an altercation with staff and had his medicine withheld, which they say contributed to his death.
Reported by: Massachusetts Department of Correction (the agency that held him); advocates; prisoners.