A prison guard has pleaded guilty in connection with the death of an inmate who was allegedly "eaten alive by bedbugs" in an insect-infested cell at Fulton County Jail in Atlanta, Georgia.
Stephanie Cooper admitted to depriving essential services, cruelty to inmates, and two counts of violation of oath of office in relation to the death of Lashawn Thompson, 35, who was found dead in a psychiatric wing of the jail.
Death in a Filthy Cell
Thompson, who suffered from schizophrenia, was discovered slumped over a toilet seat in a cell filled with garbage and infested with insects. His death in 2022 came three months after he was jailed for spitting at a police officer.
Thompson was found in a malnourished state with an "enormous presence of body lice," and his family likened his cell to a death chamber, claiming he had been "eaten alive" by bedbugs.
Autopsy and Aftermath
Horrific photos taken after Thompson's death showed his face and mouth covered in insects. An independent autopsy, commissioned by his family and funded by activist Colin Kaepernick, ruled his death a homicide caused by cardiac arrhythmia due to severe neglect and untreated schizophrenia.
Dr. Roger Mitchell Jr, a former chief medical examiner who conducted the autopsy, said Thompson was "neglected to death." In the autopsy, he wrote: "The death of Mr Lashawn Thompson resulted from severe neglect evidenced by untreated schizophrenia, poor living conditions, poor grooming, extensive and severe body insect infestation, dehydration, and rapid weight loss."
First Criminal Resolution
Cooper is the first person to face a criminal resolution for Thompson's death, which sparked national outrage in the US. However, she will not face jail time after entering a guilty plea under Georgia's First Offender Act and was sentenced to 10 years of probation.
The provision allows defendants without prior felony convictions to be exonerated of guilt as a matter of law once probation is completed, meaning her felony record can eventually be wiped clean despite the severity of her charges.
