Deaths in Custody
Died in jail or a lockup

Terral Ellis Jr.

26 years old · died October 22, 2015 · Ottawa County Jail, Ottawa County, Oklahoma

Terral Ellis Jr., 26, was held at the Ottawa County Jail in Miami, Oklahoma, and died there on October 22, 2015, twelve days after he arrived. His brother Garrett Ellis said Terral was trying to better himself for his young son and went into jail healthy. Court documents say he repeatedly asked for medical care as seizures, sweating and pain began soon after he was booked. The medical examiner attributed his death to septic shock and pneumonia, and a 2023 jury awarded his family $33 million, finding the sheriff violated his right to adequate medical care. The county has challenged that verdict, and in April 2026 circuit court judges affirmed it.

Cause of death, as reported: Died of illness (disputed; neglect alleged). The medical examiner attributed his death to sepsis and pneumonia, but his family's lawsuit says jail staff ignored his repeated requests for medical care, and a jury found the sheriff violated his constitutional right to adequate medical care.

Reported by: medical examiner or coroner; his family's federal lawsuit (family or their lawyers); the jury in the family's lawsuit (court).

Lawsuit: His family sued the Ottawa County sheriff over his death, and a jury awarded them $33 million in August 2023, a judgment that circuit court judges affirmed in April 2026.

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