Stanley Wilson Jr.
Stanley Wilson Jr., 40, a former Detroit Lions player who had attended Stanford, died on February 1, 2023, while held in Los Angeles County custody, first at Men's Central Jail and Twin Towers and later at a state psychiatric hospital in Norwalk. The county medical examiner said he died of a pulmonary thromboembolism, and the medical examiner's office and the sheriff's department said he fell out of a chair during hospital intake. His mother, Dr. D. Pulane Lucas, has described ligature marks and head wounds, and an independent review of his autopsy reported forehead injuries. Agencies have disputed which of them held him when he died, and his mother's wrongful-death lawsuit against the county is pending.
Cause of death, as reported: Cause not yet determined (disputed; neglect alleged). The Los Angeles County medical examiner attributes the death to a pulmonary thromboembolism after he fell from a chair during hospital intake, while his mother says ligature marks and head wounds show he was harmed and an independent autopsy review found forehead injuries; she also says staff did not release the requested footage and his death was left out of custody databases.
Reported by: Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's Office (medical examiner or coroner); Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (the agency that held him); his mother, Pulane Lucas, and his family's lawsuit (family or their lawyers); independent autopsy technician.
Lawsuit: His mother filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against Los Angeles County, which remains pending, and his parents have since sued the Sheriff's Department, the Department of State Hospitals and Los Angeles County, with the case refiled in Los Angeles Superior Court.
News reports (6)
- My Son Died in LA County Custody. Months Later, His Death Hasn’t Been Counted.
- As Los Angeles Politicians Trade Barbs, Jail Deaths Keep Mounting
- Dozens of Mentally Ill People Have Died in California Jails
- Mother's Day: Moms gather outside Los Angeles County Men's Central Jail to mourn sons who died at LA facility
- In-custody deaths continue to rise in LA County jails
- State law requires autopsies following in-custody deaths. Records show they don't always happen.