Michael Ferguson
Michael Ferguson, 44, had been held at the California Medical Facility in Vacaville, a state prison, since 2005. He died on March 8, 2010, after falling from the third level of his cell house to the concrete below, with massive head injuries listed as the cause. The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said it could not immediately determine whether he fell, jumped, or was pushed. Testimony at a 2013 preliminary hearing, as reported by the Solano County District Attorney's Office, said another man struck him on the third tier and threw him over a railing, and a judge ordered a man to stand trial in connection with the death.
Cause of death, as reported: Killed by another person in custody (disputed). The state corrections department said he apparently fell from the third level and could not say whether he fell, jumped or was pushed, while the Solano County District Attorney's Office said at a preliminary hearing that another inmate struck him and threw him over a railing.
Reported by: California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (the agency that held him); Solano County District Attorney's Office (outside investigators); court.