Michael Broadway
Michael Broadway, 51, earned a bachelor's degree from Northwestern University's Prison Educator Program while he was held at Stateville, a prison in Crest Hill, Illinois. He died in June 2024 during a heat wave. His family said he had asthma and collapsed in his ninth-floor cell on a day that reached about 90 degrees, and they said the cell had a broken fan and a sealed window. People held at the prison told reporters that there was no air conditioning, that medical care and water were limited, and that indoor temperatures reached 110 to 120 degrees. The official autopsy listed bronchial asthma as the cause of death, with heat stress as a significant contributing condition, and his brother, Leonard Broadway, has spoken publicly about his death.
Cause of death, as reported: Died of illness (disputed; neglect alleged). The official autopsy lists bronchial asthma as the cause, with heat stress as a significant contributing condition; family and protesters say the lack of air conditioning, a broken fan and a sealed window contributed to his death, and Jimmy Soto and protesters call the conditions deadly.
Reported by: official autopsy; Jimmy Soto and protesters (advocates); his family.