Robert Harper
Robert Harper, 48, died on September 12, 2021, after being held at Allegheny County Jail in Pennsylvania. His wife Sheila said he was silly, had a boyish sense about him, and was known to people as LB. The jail attributed his death to COVID-19; he had been hospitalized in August and placed on a ventilator, and Sheila said she was not contacted about the decision to use one. The jail did not release his medical records to his next of kin, saying the proper legal documents had not been provided.
Cause of death, as reported: Died of illness (disputed; neglect alleged). The jail and the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency list the death as natural, from COVID-19, while his wife says the jail did not contact her about decisions made during his hospital stay, and the jail declined to release his medical records to his next of kin.
Reported by: Allegheny County Jail (the agency that held him); Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (outside investigators); his wife; Abolitionist Law Center (advocates); Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (reporters).
Sources (5)
- Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency, Death in Custody Reporting Act dashboard
- ‘Such a mess’: Officials worried by Allegheny County Jail deaths, lack of information - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
- Thirteen men died after going to the Allegheny County Jail. Here are their stories - Pennsylvania Capital-Star
- Lack of transparency, oversight has officials, families questioning Allegheny County Jail deaths - Pennsylvania Capital-Star
- Pittsburgh Jail Records 13 Deaths in Two Years, Only One From COVID-19