William Joel Dixon
William Joel Dixon, a 29-year-old insulin-dependent diabetic, died on September 24, 2014, in his cell at the George County Jail in Leakesville, Mississippi. Court records and the district attorney say a former jail nurse, who has since been convicted, gave him inadequate medical care for several days before he died, and that he went about a week without insulin. A 2022 federal wrongful death lawsuit brought by his estate, his mother and his children led the county to agree to a $2.75 million settlement. Earlier reports described the death as pending autopsy, and the sheriff's office said the state was investigating; a former acquaintance remembered that he was diabetic.
Cause of death, as reported: Died from neglect by staff. A former jail nurse was convicted of manslaughter, and the district attorney says Dixon went several days without insulin or medical attention, while his estate's federal wrongful death lawsuit says he repeatedly asked for help before the county settled for $2.75 million.
Reported by: Sheriff Dean Howell (the agency that held him); George County District Attorney Tony Lawrence; court records; federal wrongful death lawsuit filed by his estate, mother and children (family or their lawyers).
Lawsuit: His estate, mother and children sued in federal court over his death, and George County agreed to a $2.75 million settlement.