NEWTOWN, Conn. (WTNH) — Ought to the general public be allowed to see what actually occurred inside a Connecticut jail, the place a 31-year-old man misplaced his life?
That query is on the heart of a years-long authorized tug-of-war, one which has pitted grieving family members and advocates against the state — and that might decide whether or not a sealed video will ever be made public.
The case entails the death of J’Allen Jones, who died at Garner Correctional Establishment in Newtown on March 25, 2018. The high-security facility is for grownup male offenders with vital psychological well being points.
In 2014, Jones started serving a 10-year sentence for first-degree theft.
“J’Allen was my solely baby — and I need justice for him,” his mom, Jessica Jones, mentioned.
For her, the one glimpse into her son’s remaining moments comes via nonetheless images included within the Connecticut Department of Correction’s (DOC) investigative report. They present Jones with a spit masks over his head, blood showing to seep via.
“I need this video launched,” Jessica Jones mentioned. “The general public must know what went on March 25, 2018, after they murdered my baby.”
Information 8 reviewed over 700 pages of paperwork associated to the investigation, together with photograph proof, interviews with correction employees concerned, and reviews from the state’s chief medical examiner, the Division of Public Security, and the DOC.
The official state division of public security report describes Jones as “agitated, delusional” and displaying “aggressive conduct,” together with spitting on an officer after he refused a strip search that was required for psychological well being therapy. Officers forcefully restrained him, positioned a spit veil over his head, and deployed pepper spray. The report says Jones was struck a number of occasions and injected with drugs.
“I don’t recall within the report them mentioning hanging his face, but within the nonetheless movies, his face is clearly bloodied,” Connecticut Correctional Ombudsman DeVaughn Ward mentioned.
Inside minutes, Jones stopped transferring and was unresponsive. He was rushed to Danbury Hospital and later pronounced useless.
The chief medical examiner ruled his demise a murder, citing “blunt trauma” and “wrestle and restraint with chest compression and pepper spray publicity in particular person with hypertensive and atherosclerotic heart problems.”
Stephen Sedensky, the previous state’s legal professional for Danbury, wrote in an announcement publicly launched in 2019, he “decided that the circumstances of Mr. Jones’ demise aren’t prison in nature.”
“A few of these officers are nonetheless employed with the company. None of them face prison costs,” Ward advised Information 8.
“You’ll be able to’t simply erase someone’s life, after which no person is held accountable,” mentioned Barbara Truthful of Stop Solitary CT, a corporation that carefully screens points going through Connecticut prisons.
In August, advocates, members of the general public, and Jones’ household got a uncommon alternative to current their case earlier than a decide.
“That’s what releasing the tape would do, it will maintain them accountable,” mentioned Diane Lewis, one of many audio system.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Connecticut (ACLU-CT) filed a petition to intervene, in search of the discharge of the video. The movement was denied, however the group has filed an attraction.
“When folks die in jail by the hands of public workers, that’s an especially essential topic that everybody in Connecticut must be thinking about and have the ability to perceive,” mentioned Dan Barrett, the authorized director of the ACLU of Connecticut.
However state officers are pushing again. Division of Correction Deputy Commissioner of Operations and Rehabilitative Companies William Mulligan advised the court docket that whereas a part of the video might doubtlessly be shared, different parts ought to stay sealed to guard jail safety. He advised permitting solely in-person viewings, with no copies launched.
Ron Murphy, the legal professional representing the Jones household, argued in any other case. He identified that the DOC already has safeguards in place to forestall escapes and that delicate particulars might be redacted. He insisted the one approach to defend Jones’ repute is to launch the video in full.
Either side declined to remark additional to Information 8. The Legal professional Basic’s Workplace additionally mentioned it couldn’t remark as a result of “pending lively litigation.” Information 8 has additionally reached out to the Workplace of the Chief State’s Legal professional.
Ward echoed that releasing the video might spark bigger modifications, saying, “It might trigger vital reforms in how we deal with these kinds of movies, how we deal with these kinds of incidents.”
Jones’ mom traveled from Georgia to attend the listening to. She mentioned she left with out solutions, solely extra heartbreak.
“He didn’t deserve this, and I need them to be accountable for what they did to him,” she mentioned.
A choice on the movement to seal the video isn’t anticipated till a minimum of mid-October.
