Terrill Thomas
Terrill Thomas, 38, was the father of six children, and his family says he was in the midst of a mental breakdown when he was taken into custody. He died in April 2016 in a solitary confinement cell at the Milwaukee County Jail, after prosecutors said jail staff shut off the water to his cell as punishment for flooding it and never restored it. The county medical examiner ruled his death a homicide from profound dehydration. His family's federal lawsuit says other people held nearby heard him calling for water for days and that staff ignored those pleas; the county and Armor Correctional Health Services settled the suit for $6.75 million in 2019, and jail staff have said they were not told the water had been turned off.
Cause of death, as reported: Died from neglect by staff. The medical examiner ruled he died of profound dehydration, prosecutors say jail staff shut off his cell water as punishment and never restored it, and his family's lawsuit says staff ignored his pleas for water.
Reported by: Milwaukee County Medical Examiner (medical examiner or coroner); Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office (outside investigators); his family's federal lawsuit (family or their lawyers); people held in the same unit.
Lawsuit: His estate sued Milwaukee County in federal court in 2017 (Estate of Terrill J. Thomas v. Milwaukee County), and the county and Armor Correctional Health Services settled for $6.75 million; the case closed in 2019. Court record: Estate of Terrill J. Thomas v. Milwaukee County (E.D. Wis., 2017).
Sources (74)
- News report
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- Death of Potawatomi shooter ruled a homicide
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- Dying of Thirst in America
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- 3 Milwaukee jail officials charged in inmate's death from dehydration - ABC News
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- Terrill Thomas estate said to be receiving about $6.7 million to resolve jail dehydration case
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