Cops ignored dying man in jail for 3 days, leading to ‘slow, torturous death,’ suit says
A man arrested for a nonviolent misdemeanor died in a Northern California jail cell after lying face down on his bunk for three days as deputies and jail medical staff watched, according to his family’s newly amended federal lawsuit.
While Maurice Monk, 45, was detained for over a month in Santa Rita Jail in Alameda County in 2021, his family continuously pleaded with jail staff to provide him medical care and give him his needed prescription medications, an amended complaint filed Oct. 6 says.
As Monk lay motionless, half naked, for the last three days of his detainment, uneaten meals, water and his medication piled up on the floor of his cell before he was declared dead on Nov. 15, 2021, according to a review of Alameda County sheriff’s deputies’ body camera footage, the complaint says.
“The only person who seemed to care” was a fellow inmate “who regularly warned multiple deputies that Mr. Monk was not eating, drinking or even moving for the days leading up to his death,” the complaint says.
At one point, the inmate asked “are we just waiting for him to kick the bucket?” according to the complaint.
Monk, a father of two children who worked as a security guard, was arrested in 2021 after he wouldn’t wear a mask on a bus, resulting in a verbal dispute, Ty Clarke, an attorney of Lawyers For The People representing Monk’s family, previously told McClatchy News in July 2022 when the lawsuit was first filed.
His “slow, torturous death” as a result of neglect in jail came after he missed a court appearance and he and his family couldn’t afford a $2,500 bail, according to the complaint.
Nearly two years after Monk died, his family’s attorneys have obtained and reviewed more than 150 newly released videos showing how jail staff ignored him and his needs, an Oct. 10 news release from Lawyers For the People says.
His certificate issued by Alameda County says he died of hypertensive cardiovascular disease — but his family doesn’t believe that, according to the release.
“That’s not what killed Maurice Monk,” attorney Adanté Pointer said in a statement. “It was the failure of the jail’s nurses and guards to ensure Maurice received his medications to treat his mental illness and chronic high blood pressure.”
“They literally did nothing more than stare at him and throw food and medications into his cell like he was an animal in a pen at the zoo,” Pointer added.
Monk’s family is suing Alameda County, 15 Alameda County sheriff’s deputies, WellPath Community Care LLC, the jail’s contracted medical provider, and 10 WellPath Community Care employees, the complaint shows.
McClatchy News contacted attorneys representing the county and WellPath Community Care for comment on Oct. 12 and didn’t receive immediate responses.
The Alameda County Sheriff’s Office declined a request for comment from McClatchy News on Oct. 12 due to the active litigation, according to an emailed statement from Lt. Tya M. Modeste.
“We will, however, release a statement when the case has been resolved,” Modeste said.
‘The jail’s neglect stole Maurice from us’
Staff at Santa Rita Jail were supposed to check on Monk every 30 minutes since he was detained in “housing unit #1” — a section of the jail for high-priority inmates with mental health issues, according to the complaint.
According to body-worn camera footage and internal affairs investigations, staff forged records of wellness checks and his medical compliance, the complaint says.
The last week of Monk’s life, jail staff saw him go from “talking and interacting” with them to becoming unresponsive during the last three days, surrounded by his own urine and feces, according to the complaint.
As Monk was motionless, deputies and medical staff are accused of joking about his rapidly deteriorating condition, the complaint says.
On Nov. 13, 2021, deputies and an inmate saw Monk face-down in his cell, where he spent the day prior in the same position, and were heard saying “Is he alive” and “Oh my goodness, he’s still there,” according to a timeline of the events detailed by Monk’s family’s attorneys.
Elvira Monk desperately advocated on her brother’s behalf during his detainment, but the jail “rejected” her attempts to help get him medical care, the complaint says.
“She incessantly contacted Defendant Jail Staff and sadly sent them medical documentation up until November 16, 2021 — the day after Mr. Monk died — because they failed to advise her of her brother’s passing,” the complaint says.
Before his death, when Elvira Monk arrived at the jail to bring him prescription medications, she was turned away, according to the complaint.
“The jail’s neglect stole Maurice from us,” Elvira Monk said in a statement.
“If not for their utter neglect my brother would still be here today to go to his son’s upcoming high school graduation, hug his daughter and play with his nieces and nephews,” she added.
The lawsuit seeks to recover general, special and punitive damages and demands a jury trial.
Santa Rita Jail is about 40 miles east of San Francisco.
This story was originally published October 12, 2023 at 2:04 PM with the headline "Cops ignored dying man in jail for 3 days, leading to ‘slow, torturous death,’ suit says."
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