Joseph Duran
Joseph Duran was adopted at age 5 and raised in Southern California by his parents, who said they had not seen him in two years and believed he was safer in jail than on the streets. He died in September 2013 in his cell at Mule Creek State Prison in Ione, California, where his parents said he had a history of serious mental illness. His parents say guards pepper-sprayed him in the face and neck and then left him in his cell for hours, despite requests from medical staff, and that they were not told of his death for months. The Amador County coroner's office first classified his death as a suicide, and corrections officials later termed it accidental. In 2016 the state and Amador County agreed to pay his parents $750,000 in a settlement.
Cause of death, as reported: Killed by staff (disputed; neglect alleged). The Amador County coroner's office initially classified the death as suicide, while Duran's parents' federal lawsuit says guards pepper-sprayed him and left him in his cell for hours despite medical staff requests to decontaminate him and monitor his breathing.
Reported by: Amador County coroner's office (medical examiner or coroner); Duran's parents' federal lawsuit (family or their lawyers); corrections officials.
Lawsuit: His parents sued the state and Amador County over his death and settled for $750,000 in 2016; a separate federal civil rights case over the death was reported as ongoing.