An independent autopsy determined a man who was found unresponsive and covered in bug bites at a Georgia jail died due to "severe neglect" from jail staff, and attorneys for his family are calling for criminal negligence charges.
LaShawn Thompson, 35, was housed in the psychiatric wing of the Fulton County Jail after a June arrest on a misdemeanor battery charge in Atlanta. Local officials said Thompson had diagnosed mental health issues.
Three months later, he was found in his cell dehydrated and malnourished, and his body "was infested inside and out with insects," according to attorneys Ben Crump and Michael Harper.
"This is the most deplorable death in custody case in the history of America," Crump said at a press conference Monday morning on the steps of the Georgia State Capitol, alongside Thompson's family and community leaders.