Shaun Duncan Morrison
Shaun Morrison, 39, was held at Montana State Prison in Deer Lodge, where he had a history of mental illness and self-harm and was housed in the Secure Adjustment Unit for people with severe mental illness, according to the Daily Montanan. On May 19, 2021, he cut into his stomach, and he died of the wound and sepsis on May 23 at Benefis Healthcare System in Great Falls. His death certificate lists it as suicide. Disability Rights Montana, which had sued on his behalf, says his mental illness and earlier suicide attempts made the death foreseeable and preventable. The Department of Corrections has not commented because of ongoing litigation, and the state denies the conditions claims in the 2015 lawsuit.
Cause of death, as reported: Died by suicide (disputed; neglect alleged). The death certificate lists a self-inflicted stomach wound and sepsis as the cause, and Disability Rights Montana says his mental illness and earlier suicide attempts made the death foreseeable and preventable, so it contests the official account of how he was cared for.
Reported by: death certificate; Disability Rights Montana (advocates); Montana Department of Corrections (the agency that held him).