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California inmate may have been dead 72 hours before found

Alameda County Santa Rita Jail in Dublin, Calif. on Sept. 22, 2021. (Harika Maddala/ Bay City News)

(KRON) — An inmate at the Santa Rita Jail in Northern California may have been dead for 72 hours by the time his body was discovered, Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price said Wednesday. The family of Maurice Monk will receive approximately $7 million from the county to settle a lawsuit stemming from his 2021 death.

Monk was arrested on Oct. 11, 2021, after he was accused of disorderly conduct and refusing to exit an AC Transit bus. He was later moved to Santa Rita, where he was found unresponsive in his jail cell on Nov. 15, 2021.


“Evidence suggests Mr. Monk may have been deceased for at least 72 hours,” Price’s office wrote.

In addition to the wrongful death lawsuit that yielded Monk’s family $7 million, they also filed another lawsuit against Wellpath, which is Alameda County’s medical provider.

“Mr. Monk, I am told, had a mental illness – a diagnosis. He had medical issues. We all know that mental illness is not a crime, and it should not be a death sentence in Alameda County,” Price said.