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Family member urges accountability after death in Washoe County jail during public comment
Summary
During public comment the family of Thomas Purdy described his death in custody and urged criminal accountability and transparent review; she said medical-examiner findings and expert statements show force used and positional restraint contributed to his death and criticized absence of criminal charges.
Annemarie Grant used public comment time at the end of the Assembly Judiciary Committee hearing to urge accountability and prosecution after her brother, Thomas Purdy, died in Washoe County custody in October 2015.
Grant said deputies used a restraint and "hog-tie" position on Purdy and that video and the medical examiners findings showed the death was a homicide. "The Washington County Medical Examiner ruled my brother's death a homicide due to complications of excited delirium noted absent the positional restraint and force used against him by law enforcement," she said, adding that the American Medical Association has cautioned against use of the term "excited delirium."
Grant said the familys wrongful-death lawsuit resulted in monetary settlements but that money did not substitute for criminal accountability: "The cornerstone of our justice system is accountability. And when someone dies in state custody, there must be a transparent impartial review and criminal charges and prosecution when appropriate," she said.
Her comment was the only public-comment item recorded during the session.
Ending: Grant closed by urging the committee to pursue measures that ensure transparent investigations and criminal accountability when jail deaths occur.
