Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke — one of Donald Trump’s loudest surrogates — is even crueler than previously thought.
The April 24, 2016 death of 38-year-old Terrill Thomas has been officially ruled as a homicide, with the cause of Thomas’ death being attributed to “profound dehydration,” after an autopsy by the Milwaukee County medical examiner. According to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, inmates heard Thomas plead with jail guards for water while being held in connection with a shooting.
Marcus Berry, who occupied the cell across from Thomas for the last six days of his life, said guards were purposefully denying him water due to Thomas’ erratic behavior in his previous cell. However, the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office declined to comment on whether or not inmates were denied water due to disciplinary reasons.
“I could tell he was getting weaker,” Berry said. “One day he just lay down, dehydrated and hungry.” When Berry asked if Thomas needed water, he said it sounded like Thomas tried to say “yeah” but couldn’t fully speak.
Berry said he urged a correctional officer to bring Thomas water, but said he was told it would have to wait until another officer was on duty.
“You can’t punish someone by depriving them of the nourishment they need to survive,” said Erik Heipt, an attorney specializing in wrongful death lawsuits for inmates, in an interview with the Journal-Sentinel.
Thomas isn’t the only inmate to die of thirst in Sheriff Clarke’s custody. The Journal-Sentinel reported that between 2010 and 2014, ten people died while being held by the Milwaukee Sheriff’s Office. Antonio Cowser, who died in 2010, had water shut off in his cell after going on a hunger strike.
In an official press release, the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office said it would refuse to comment on Thomas’ death until all investigations have concluded.
Zach Cartwright is an activist and author from Richmond, Virginia. He enjoys writing about politics, government, and the media. Send him an email at [email protected], and follow his work on the Public Banking Institute blog.
