Family says man was strangled in Macon jail. Officers accused of ignoring calls for help

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A man who previously complained about unsafe conditions in the Bibb County Jail wound up dead in the facility two years ago, and now his family is seeking $5 million from jail officials.

The family of Carlos Shelley, a Bibb County inmate who allegedly was strangled to death in 2022 by another inmate despite being on suicide watch and having other inmates make unanswered pleas for help, filed a lawsuit last week in Bibb County Superior Court. The lawsuit accuses the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office, Sheriff David Davis and several jail employees of being culpable in Shelley’s death.

The family called Shelley’s death “tragic, preventable and wrongful,” and alleged that he was strangled for 10 to 15 minutes with no intervention from officers.

The lawsuit asserts that Shelley was under suicide watch, awaiting trial on shoplifting and property damage charges when another inmate, Joseph Anthony Moore, strangled him to death in 2022. The 125-page lawsuit was filed by Ashanti Williams and Carlos Jackson, Shelley’s surviving children, through their attorney Michael Hill.

Moore was charged with aggravated assault and felony murder over Shelley’s death the same year. According to court documents, the courts granted Moore to be released on a $25,000 bond and confined to his residence, only letting him outside for work, court appearances, legal appointments and medical emergencies.

Moore’s case is still pending in court.

Their complaint alleges correctional officers Eric Woodford, Shermaine Jones, Harold Glen Wilkes Jr., Rudolph Pennimon Jr., Zelda Williams, Jarrett Williams, Jerome Williams and Casey Walker didn’t respond to other inmates’ pleas for help. All eight officers are also defendants in the lawsuit.

Rigor mortis had set in and Shelley’s body was stiff when he was discovered, according to the lawsuit.

Suit: Strangling lasted 10-15 minutes. No staff responded

The lawsuit says Shelley and Moore, along with fellow inmate Gary Deshazier, were on suicide watch at the Old Infirmary — a place where jailers had been warned against housing inmates by a mental health professional because the layout makes it difficult to watch inmates and there are no cameras.

On the evening of June 2, 2022, sometime between 6:45 and 7:45 p.m., Shelley and Moore were arguing when Moore began strangling Shelley for approximately 10 to 15 minutes, according to the lawsuit, which attributes the information to Deshazier. During this time, Deshazier and another inmate held next to them, Qauntarious Poole, called for help and emergency assistance from jail staff, but no one responded.

The lawsuit also says Poole has attested to hearing Shelley gasping for air. He also heard Shelley say, “Tell my grandmother I love her.”

The lawsuit argues the four inmates on suicide watch at the Old Infirmary were left to “fend for themselves” since no jail or medical staff were posted inside the Old Infirmary, giving them no means to communicate with staff in the case of an emergency.

Before the incident, Woodford had allegedly instructed Jones and Wilkes to move the inmates at the Old Infirmary to another infirmary, but they never did, according to the lawsuit.

Later, Pennimon Jr. picked up Moore to take him “to medical,” stating he saw Shelley’s legs but he did not call out or check on him, according to the lawsuit. It’s unclear why Pennimon didn’t address the situation further.

Zelda Williams later performed a cell check when she saw Shelley sitting on the floor unresponsive. Walker said CPR was initiated and medical staff was notified, according to the lawsuit, but Shelley was dead.

The lawsuit alleges the staff at the Bibb County Jail failed to complete proper cell checks and in-person surveillance of the detainees as required in its policy. Additionally, when requesting video surveillance and staff reports of the day of the incident, the jail denied the family and attorney access to it.

What is jail policy for inmates on ‘suicide watch?’

A lawsuit only presents one side of a legal argument, and the jail officers and county officials facing the suit haven’t yet filed a legal reply. The Bibb County Sheriff’s Office, which manages the jail, declined to answer questions about the incident but did give The Telegraph information on the jail policy for inmates on “suicide watch.”

Jail policy dictates detainees on suicide watch should be checked on every 15 minutes, the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office confirmed in an email to The Telegraph. They’re given a suicide smock, which is a quilted blanket over the shoulders and chest of the inmate so they cannot harm themselves. It provides more comfort than a standard paper gown, the sheriff’s office said.

They also said the inmates on suicide watch are supposed to be placed in a cell where other inmates can’t access them, according to jail policy.

The lawsuit argues Walker, Pennimon, Jones, Woodford, Wilkes, Jarrett, Zelda and Jerome Williams all failed to follow policy. They didn’t move Shelley or the other detainees to appropriate housing and they didn’t respond to the requests for help.

The family also argues that Davis, Woodford, Jones and the sheriff’s office were responsible for training and implementing the policies and procedures at the Bibb County Jail, protecting detainees from being harmed by other inmates.

They also allege the officials sued violated Shelley’s 14th Amendment rights, denying him adequate medical and mental health care.

Under-staffing at the Bibb County Jail was also mentioned in the lawsuit as an issue relevant to Shelley’s death.

Shelley’s surviving children are seeking a jury trial and the $5 million award, according to the lawsuit.

Not first time Bibb County inmate had safety fears

Shelley had raised alarms about his treatment at the Bibb County Jail years ago. At the time, he had pleaded guilty to robbing a Macy’s store with a knife.

He filed a federal complaint against the Bibb Law Enforcement Center in 2016, requesting action after he had been incarcerated for 90 days with no indictment or bond, according to his hand-written complaint. He also said he worked as a confidential informant with the local district attorney’s office and was dedicated to pursuing officers who brought cell phones and drugs into the jail.

He didn’t feel safe around them, he said in his complaint.

He also complained about suffering from depression and said he couldn’t deal with being in an isolated cell, but he was placed there for three months, according to the document.

Shelley also wrote that, after he had been transferred into another cell block, other inmates assaulted him. He said this happened after the correctional officers told other inmates he was a “snitch.”

“I am writing to you because I have no family on the outside to check on these matters for me,” Shelley wrote. “So I ask that you get me in touch with whoever it is that can help me make this come to light.”

Because Shelley had submitted his complaint but hadn’t paid the $400 processing fee, or requested the courts to waive the fees, his complaint was dismissed.