$2.25 Million Settlement Reached for Family in Case of Rikers "Baking" Death

by Rebecca Lewis | 10/31/2014 | 3:33pm

$2.25 Million Settlement Reached for Family in Case of Rikers "Baking" Death

Jerome Murdough died in March in his cell at Rikers.

In May of this year, the family of Jerome Murdough filed a claim against the city for negligence and civil rights violations. On Friday, NYC Comptroller Stringer announced a pre-litigation settlement of $2.25 million.

Murdough was a homeless former Marine who suffered from schizophrenia and manic depressive disorder. He was arrested in March for trespassing while looking for a warm place to sleep. Unable to pay bail, Murdough was sent to Rikers to await trial, where he died a week later.

During that week, there have been claims that Murdough was neglected by guards and medical staff. His cell was over 100 degrees because of faulty equipment and had no window to let in air. Murdough was also on anti-psychotic drugs that may have made him more sensitive to heat. He was described by officials as having "baked" to death.

Murdough is one of several inmate deaths at Rikers that have recently been brought to light. Comptroller Stringer said there is a great need for reform at the prison to end the "culture of violence."

"What seems clear is Rikers Island is broken and in dire need of that reform. We must do everything in our power to avoid these future tragedies," Stringer said on Friday.

Another high profile death at Rikers is that of Bradley Ballard. He was allegedly denied medication for his mental illness and was ignored by guards and medical staff. He was found dead in his cell, naked and covered in vomit and feces, having sexually mutilated himself. Ballard's mother Beverly Ann Griffin filed a wrongful death suit against the city in September. The claim is yet to be settled.

 

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