Deaths in Custody
Died in jail or a lockup

Maurice Monk

45 years old · died November 15, 2021 · Santa Rita Jail, Alameda County, California

Maurice Monk, 45, was an Oakland man and former Castlemont High and Sac State football player who worked off and on as a security guard. He was the father of a daughter and a son and the brother of his sisters Elvira and Tiffany, and he had schizoaffective disorder. His family says they struggled to get the medication he needed while he was held at Santa Rita Jail in Dublin, and body camera video obtained by KTVU shows deputies and nurses opened his cell door over several days without going in to check on him. He died in his cell in November 2021; the coroner ruled the death natural, due to hypertensive cardiovascular disease, while the family disputes that the care he received was adequate. The county paid his family $7 million and Wellpath $2.5 million, and charges against deputies and medical staff, most since dropped, have been disputed by the sheriff, who says criminal negligence did not occur.

Cause of death, as reported: Cause not yet determined (disputed; neglect alleged). The coroner ruled the death natural from hypertensive cardiovascular disease, while the family's lawsuit says deputies and jail medical staff left him unchecked for days and failed to provide his prescribed medication.

Reported by: Alameda County coroner (medical examiner or coroner); Alameda County Sheriff's Office (the agency that held him); the Monk family's wrongful death lawsuit (family or their lawyers).

Lawsuit: His family sued Alameda County and Wellpath over his death at Santa Rita Jail, and the county settled for $7 million and Wellpath for $2.5 million.

News reports (18)

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Questions, a correction, or a death I’ve missed? Email me at orion.j.taylor@gmail.com.