Louis Christopher Latham
Louis Christopher Latham, 40, was held at Ventress Correctional Facility in Barbour County, Alabama, when he was assaulted by other prisoners on October 4, 2023, and was flown to an outside hospital. His family says he had earlier been struck in the head with a weight at another facility and was moved to Ventress without protective custody because no cells were available. His uncle, Kevin Hyatt, said Latham's mother died of cancer when he was 14, and that the family was not told for four days and, when they saw him, he was in a vegetative state and they chose to remove him from life support. Latham died on October 10, 2023, and the family and the Equal Justice Initiative attribute the death to a traumatic brain injury. The Alabama Department of Corrections said it is investigating.
Cause of death, as reported: Killed by another person in custody (neglect alleged). The corrections department says other inmates assaulted him, and his family says he was moved to Ventress without protective custody after an earlier beating at Staton.
Reported by: Alabama Department of Corrections (the agency that held him); Louis Christopher Latham's family (family or their lawyers); Equal Justice Initiative (advocates); Alabama Public Radio (reporters).