Scott Whitley III
Scott Whitley, 46, was diagnosed with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, and his parents said he was pleasant when he took his medication. He died on November 25, 2022, after deputies at the Marion County Jail in Ocala, Florida, restrained him during a cell inspection and used pepper foam and an electronic stun device. The sheriff's office first said he refused orders, an account the Ocala Gazette reports is contradicted by jail video it was allowed to view, which shows him sitting as ordered before guards rushed in. The Medical Examiner's Office ruled his death a homicide, citing cardiac arrhythmia during physical restraint, and his family says jail staff did not account for his illness and that he was held for a week in a confinement cell without clothing, bedding or medication, as the Gazette reports. The family's wrongful death suit was settled, and prosecutors declined to charge the deputies.
Cause of death, as reported: Killed by staff (disputed; neglect alleged). The medical examiner ruled the death a homicide, and his family's lawsuit says deputies beat him to death and held him for a week without clothing, bedding or medication for his schizophrenia, while the sheriff's office says guards used lawful force.
Reported by: Medical Examiner's Office (medical examiner or coroner); Whitley family's lawsuit (family or their lawyers); Marion County Sheriff's Office (the agency that held him); Florida Department of Law Enforcement (outside investigators); Ocala Gazette (reporters).
Lawsuit: His family sued Marion County and its jail deputies over his death in a wrongful death case that settled for an undisclosed amount.
Sources (21)
- Marion County inmate dies after reportedly 'refusing to cooperate' during cell inspection, deputies say
- Deputies: Marion County inmate's death under investigation
- Deputies investigate death of Marion County inmate after jail officials subdue him during cell check
- Marion County inmate dies after being uncooperative during routine cell inspection, deputies say
- Marion County inmate death raises questions about conditions at the jail
- FDLE launches investigation into death of inmate inside the Marion County Jail
- Sisters share their experience following inmate death at Marion County Jail
- No charges for detention deputies after death at Marion County Jail
- No detention deputies face charges in death of Marion County inmate
- No charges for officers involved in inmate death
- Family sues Marion County sheriff after man with mental illness dies in jail
- Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods faces third suit since July over wrongdoing at jail
- Family of Marion jail inmate who died in custody files wrongful death suit against sheriff
- ‘Ocala Gazette’ sues MCSO over video of jail inmate’s death at hands of deputies
- Circuit judge grants order for “Ocala Gazette” to view Marion County Jail footage
- Jail footage shows inmate complied with orders before fatal use of force
- People in the Marion County Jail are suffering. This is why it matters.
- Florida has no law requiring deaths in custody to be reported by local law enforcement
- Ten fixes Marion County Jail could make—now
- Marion County’s jail remains one of the deadliest in Florida
- Recap of findings from the Ocala Gazette’s investigation into the Marion County Jail