Michael Stauff
Michael Stauff, 62, used a wheelchair and was held at the Fresno County jail, where he was awaiting trial, when he died in April 2014. Investigators said he was found dead in his cell on the infirmary floor, strangled with jail sheets and covered with blankets. Nearly two years later, prosecutors charged his cellmate with murder and said DNA from at least one other person was found on the sheets. The cellmate's defense argued that Stauff died by suicide, but prosecutors said that was impossible, and a jury in 2018 convicted the cellmate of murder.
Cause of death, as reported: Killed by another person in custody (disputed). Prosecutors say his cellmate strangled him, and a jury convicted the cellmate of murder, while the cellmate's defense claimed Stauff died by suicide.
Reported by: prosecutors; court.