ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - The family of a New York inmate who killed himself at an upstate prison sued Monday over his death, saying officials beat the man hours before his suicide and ignored warning signs that put him at a heightened risk for self-harm.
Dante Taylor killed himself in an infirmary cell at Wende Correctional Facility in October 2017. The federal lawsuit argues the 22-year-old’s death was avoidable and says officials “recklessly and callously” failed to set up proper suicide prevention efforts.
Taylor’s life-without-parole sentence followed his murder conviction in the 2014 death of Sarah Goode, 21, who disappeared after attending a party and was found dead in a wooded area on Long Island days later.
Police and prosecutorial misconduct had tarnished the case against Taylor. A judge who sanctioned the prosecution for not disclosing evidence said the defense should have been given a series of tips that pointed to other potential suspects.
The lawsuit, which seeks damages, lists administrators, nurses, doctors and correctional officers as defendants. The state prison system is not listed as a defendant.
The family argues that a variety of factors put Taylor at an increased risk of killing himself, including a history of suicide attempts and a breakup with his wife. But, according to the family, officials did not increase support or monitoring for Taylor.
“Had Defendants met their basic constitutional duties, Mr. Taylor would still be alive today,” the family argues in the lawsuit. “He would be able to maintain relationships with his family and friends, pursue his intended legal appeals to his conviction, and contribute to society going forward in whatever manner was possible.”
The state’s prison agency, the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, declined to comment on specifics of the litigation.
In the lead-up to Taylor’s death, he was sent to the infirmary after having a reaction to synthetic marijuana, according to the family. A doctor noted that Taylor appeared to have vague suicidal thoughts.
He was then sent to a separate unit and put under suicide watch, according to the Office of Mental Health.
Taylor made threats to harm himself, but officials sent him back to his cell after less than a day, with no plan to address his drug use or step up his monitoring, the family argues in the lawsuit.
Later that day, officers entered Taylor’s cell after he began having drug-related seizures, according to the suit.
The correctional officers then beat him into unconsciousness, hogtied him with zip ties and carried him facedown out of his cell, his family alleges. The correctional officers said that the injuries were self-inflicted and that Taylor had banged his head against the wall, the lawsuit notes.
Photos in the lawsuit show Taylor with a black eye and a swollen face.
After arriving back at prison from the hospital in the early morning, Taylor was put in an infirmary cell, alone and kept isolated because he faced punishment for his drug use, according to the family. He killed himself later that morning.
The family argues that officials “failed to provide Mr. Taylor with even the minimum level of appropriate medical care, supervision, and observation.”
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