Zachary James Proper
Zachary Proper, of Oil City, was found dead in his cell at the Pine Grove state prison on the night of Monday, September 8, 2014. Prison officials said he died by suicide, hanging himself with a sheet, and that he was alone in the cell. State police and prison authorities said they were investigating his death. In a federal lawsuit, his mother, Karen Kapp, says she warned prison officials and physicians that he was not taking his prescribed medications and was a suicide risk. The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages and names the state corrections secretary and the prison superintendent as defendants.
Cause of death, as reported: Died by suicide (disputed; neglect alleged). Prison spokeswoman Judy White says he hanged himself with a sheet, while his mother Karen Kapp's federal lawsuit says she warned prison officials and physicians he was not taking his prescribed medications and was a suicide risk.
Reported by: Judy White, spokeswoman for the Pine Grove state prison (the agency that held him); Karen Kapp, his mother, in her federal lawsuit (family or their lawyers).
Lawsuit: His mother, Karen Kapp, sued in federal court over his death, alleging prison officials and physicians ignored warnings that he was a suicide risk; the suit seeks unspecified damages and no amount has been reported.