Spencer Eckford
Spencer Eckford, 66, of Aberdeen, died at the Monroe County Jail in July 2026, after he was booked there. Family members, including his sister Annie, say he was a beloved brother and that nothing like this had happened on his earlier visits to the jail. According to the Monroe County Sheriff, an officer used a stun gun on him during booking and his condition then worsened, and he was taken to a hospital, where staff said he showed no signs of life. The sheriff has said the officers acted in self-defense, which the family disputes, and the autopsy is pending while the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation looks into the death.
Cause of death, as reported: Killed by staff (disputed). Sheriff Kevin Crook says a corrections officer tased him during booking and the autopsy is pending, while attorney Malik Z. Shabazz calls it a killing by the sheriff's department.
Reported by: Monroe County Sheriff Kevin Crook (the agency that held him); Attorney Malik Z. Shabazz and the family (family or their lawyers).
News reports (6)
- Sheriff shares more details about death of inmate in Monroe County
- Investigation underway after the death of an inmate in Monroe County Detention Center
- State investigating death of inmate in Monroe County
- Family, activists demand answers after 66-year-old man dies in Monroe County custody
- Community speaks out on death of Spencer Eckford
- Sheriff speaks on July’s deadly tasing incident