Laeddie Coleman
Laeddie Coleman, 34, was held at the Hardeman County Correctional Facility, a private prison in Tennessee run by CoreCivic, when he was fatally stabbed in a day room in September 2021. His father, Eddie Tardy, describes him as a quiet, sweet boy who wanted to make music when he got out. According to a CoreCivic incident report and prison video reported by the Tennessee Lookout, three other people held there attacked him, and the report says another man had been attacked in the same day room about 15 minutes earlier. The Tennessee Lookout reports that records show the pod was not being monitored by guards, and his father's lawsuit says CoreCivic understaffing left it unsupervised and unsecured; CoreCivic declined to comment on the pending litigation. The family says it learned the details only through an attorney and the Tennessee Lookout, and as of the reporting no one had been charged.
Cause of death, as reported: Killed by another person in custody (disputed; neglect alleged). The CoreCivic incident report and the Tennessee Department of Correction say three fellow inmates stabbed him in a day room, and the district attorney's account matches that; his father's lawsuit says CoreCivic understaffing left the pod unmonitored and unsecured even though another person had been stabbed there minutes earlier.
Reported by: CoreCivic incident report (the agency that held him); Tennessee Department of Correction (the agency that held him); District Attorney General Mark Davidson (outside investigators); his father's lawsuit against CoreCivic (family or their lawyers); Tennessee Lookout (reporters).
Lawsuit: His father sued CoreCivic over the September 2021 stabbing at the Hardeman County Correctional Facility, and the reporting gives no settlement or award amount.