Colin Kaepernick Pays For Autopsy Of Man “Eaten Alive By Bed Bugs” In Jail
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Colin Kaepernick announced that he will pay for an independent autopsy for a man that mysteriously died in jail. TMZ reports that LaShawn Thompson, 35, was found dead in a Fulton County Jail cell in September 2022.
An autopsy performed by Atlanta authorities yielded “undetermined” results. However, Thompson’s family believes that the man’s death was a direct result of the jail’s “filthy” living conditions.
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After being alerted about the death, Kaepernick contacted the family’s attorney, Ben Crump, and helped fund the postmortem examination.
While the exact price of the autopsy isn’t revealed, independent examinations can range between $20,000 to $50,000.
According to the BBC, the Thompson family has since released photos showing the cell’s condition and where his lifeless body had been found.
These are the conditions of the Fulton County Jail, where Lashawn Thompson was found dead, covered in lice and feces. At the time of his death, over 90% of his unit was severly malnourished. EVERY person had lice or scabies.
He was 35 years old. pic.twitter.com/OnQYGgo4ZL— Clara T Green (@ClaraTGreen) April 13, 2023
LaShawn’s corpse was located unresponsive in September 2022 in the prison’s psychiatric wing with “bugs and bug bites all over” him with his eyes open.
“LaShawn Thompson died with his eyes open. It is documented in the medical records…they saw him declining and did nothing,” Michael Harper, a family attorney, expressed. “Mr. Thompson was found dead in a filthy jail cell after being eaten alive by insects and bed bugs.”
Brad McCrae, Thompson’s younger brother, described the images of his brother covered in bugs as “horrific” and called the jail cell “a death chamber.”
The man’s family is looking for an explanation and for radical changes to the Fulton County’s prison. Additionally, lawyers for the Thompson family are pushing for a thorough criminal investigation. They’ve also revealed a lawsuit against the jail is pending.
LaShawn Thompson was detained in 2022 over a simple misdemeanor battery case.
Inmates deserve humanity and for jail officials to follow mental health protocol nationwide. We've joined in the fight for full justice for the family of Lashawn Thompson — an inmate who died in deplorable conditions at the Fulton County Jail! His death won't go unaccounted for! pic.twitter.com/mnKn0G4hvz
— Ben Crump (@AttorneyCrump) April 17, 2023
