Raul Pinet Jr.
Raul Pinet Jr., 31, died on August 6, 2010, at the Onondaga County Justice Center in Syracuse, New York, where he was held. His widow's lawsuit says deputies handcuffed him and restrained him face down in a timeout room in the booking area, and that they suffocated him and failed to observe him properly. The county medical examiner, Dr. Robert Stoppacher, ruled the death a homicide from cocaine-induced excited delirium, while the State Commission of Correction found he was asphyxiated during restraint, a conclusion the widow's expert shared. A federal judge dismissed the lawsuit in November 2013 because it did not identify the deputies or establish a county policy or custom, and his death, along with that of another person held at the jail, led to public protests and a planned legislative committee on jail concerns.
Cause of death, as reported: Killed by staff (disputed; neglect alleged). The medical examiner ruled the death a homicide from cocaine-induced excited delirium, the state Commission of Correction found he was asphyxiated during restraint, and his widow's lawsuit says deputies suffocated him and did not observe him properly.
Reported by: Onondaga County medical examiner Dr. Robert Stoppacher (medical examiner or coroner); NY State Commission of Correction (outside investigators); Tashara Pinet's lawsuit and expert (family or their lawyers).
Lawsuit: His widow sued Onondaga County in federal court over his death, and a federal judge dismissed the lawsuit in November 2013 because it did not identify the deputies or establish a county policy or custom; no payment was reported.