Michael Finnerty
Michael Finnerty, a 69-year-old man, died on March 29, 2020, at a hospital after about two months in the Orange County Jail in Santa Ana. A former combat Marine and prisoner of war who lived with post-traumatic stress disorder, he was described by public defender Sharon Petrosino, whose office had been working to get him released. The sheriff's department said he had a medical condition affecting his breathing and that he tested negative for COVID-19, and the district attorney said he died of preexisting health problems. The ACLU of Southern California says he wrote a grievance on March 20, 2020, that he was growing weaker, and that he had lost more than 30 pounds during his time there.
Cause of death, as reported: Died of illness. The Orange County Sheriff's Department said he died of a medical condition affecting his breathing, and the district attorney said he died of preexisting health problems.
Reported by: Orange County Sheriff's Department (the agency that held him); Orange County Dist. Atty. Todd Spitzer.