Watson Gray

Watson Gray, 73, died on November 6, 2020, while held at Dixon Correctional Center, a state prison in Illinois run by the Illinois Department of Corrections. The department reported his manner of death as natural. Records compiled by UCLA Law Behind Bars list the cause as COVID pneumonia. Shaw Local reported that his death was the first in a COVID-19 outbreak at the prison.

Cause of death, as reported: Died of illness

Reported by: Illinois Department of Corrections (the agency that held him). The only account of how this person died comes from the agency that held him.

Sources (3)

• Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority, Death in Custody Reports (edition of 2026-07-28) Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority, Death in Custody Reports
• Illinois Department of Corrections records, via UCLA Law Behind Bars UCLA Law Behind Bars Data Project, deaths in custody
• One inmate death, virus cases surging at Dixon Correctional Center Shaw Local, December 23, 2020