Jury awards father $95 million in 2012 inmate death
BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — A jury has awarded $95 million to the father of a man who was beaten to death at the Erie County Holding Center in 2012, the inmate's attorney confirmed to News 4 on Monday.
The money was awarded to the family of Richard Metcalf, who was strangled and severely beaten by officers while being held.
Metcalf was initially arrested in 2012 in Depew after he allegedly broke into a catering business that he worked at.
Following his arraignment, a state report in 2016 indicated that officers placed a "spit mask" on him and after he chewed through it, a pillowcase was tied loosely over his head. The report states that the mask was so tight that it required scissors to remove but by the time it was cut off, he had stopped breathing and his heart had stopped. He died two days later. According to the report, he was also beaten by deputies while in custody.
The county medical examiner ruled Metcalf’s death a homicide as a result of acute and subacute myocardial infarction, meaning he died of a heart attack caused by an outside force.
In a 2013 lawsuit, the county and five deputies were accused of depriving Metcalf of medical care as well as excessive force.
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Aidan Joly joined the News 4 staff in 2022. He is a graduate of Canisius College. You can see more of his work here.