Robert Daidone
Robert Daidone, 28, was a gifted musician who loved playing the blues and classic rock on electric guitar, his mother said, and he was protective of his younger sister. He died on July 5, 2016, in his cell at Maury Correctional Institution in North Carolina. Prison officials and the medical examiner, Dr. M.G.F. Gilliland, said he died of asphyxia after torn sheets were found wrapped around his neck, and ruled his death a suicide with mental illness as a contributing factor. His mother said he developed a serious infection from a spider bite and was not seen by a doctor or given antibiotics in the days before he died, and the family's lawyer is conducting an independent investigation into possible medical negligence.
Cause of death, as reported: Died by suicide (disputed; neglect alleged). The medical examiner and prison officials ruled his death a suicide by asphyxia, but his mother says he was not seen by a doctor or given antibiotics for a serious spider-bite infection in the days before he died, and the family's lawyer is conducting an independent investigation into possible medical negligence.
Reported by: Dr. M.G.F. Gilliland (medical examiner or coroner); Maury Correctional Institution prison officials (the agency that held him).