William Farmer
William Farmer, 36, came from a long-established Anchorage family; his twin sister Robin said he was a bright person fascinated by aviation and an animal lover who adopted senior dogs from the shelter. He was held at the Anchorage Correctional Complex in December 2024, when troopers say a cellmate beat him, and he was taken to an Anchorage hospital. He died there in early January 2025, after his family removed him from a ventilator on January 3. Troopers say the assault caused a traumatic brain injury, and his sister's lawsuit alleges the state placed him in a dangerous cell and failed to stop the attack. The Department of Corrections has not counted his death as an in-custody death because he was released before he died, and the state denies responsibility.
Cause of death, as reported: Killed by another person in custody (disputed; neglect alleged). Alaska State Troopers say a cellmate severely beat William Farmer, while his twin sister Robin Farmer's civil complaint alleges the Department of Corrections placed him in a dangerous cell and failed to stop the assault; the ACLU of Alaska says the state failed to protect him, and the state denies responsibility.
Reported by: Alaska State Troopers (outside investigators); Alaska Department of Law; Alaska Department of Corrections internal investigation (the agency that held him); Robin Farmer's civil complaint (family or their lawyers); ACLU of Alaska (advocates); Anchorage Daily News (reporters).
Lawsuit: His twin sister, Robin Farmer, sued the Alaska Department of Corrections over the assault and his death, and the state has asked the court to pause the civil case until the criminal case concludes.
News reports (4)
- Anchorage jail inmate dies after December assault
- ‘Other people’s beloveds’: The decisions and delays that preceded a fatal beating at Anchorage’s jail
- Alaska Department of Corrections reports record-tying 18 deaths in custody this year
- State seeks delay in wrongful death lawsuit over fatal beating at Anchorage jail