Before he was arrested and sent to Garner Correctional Institution in Connecticut, J’Allen Jones was homeless, living in various motels and cars, according to the News-Times. The 31-year-old man was then charged for a 2013 robbery and sent to Garner to serve out a 10-year sentence. Jones, however, would never make it to see his release date, as he was killed behind bars just a few years later in 2018.
A June 2018 autopsy ruled his death a homicide, saying he “experienced a sudden death during a struggle and restraint with chest compression, plus pepper spray exposure in a person with hypertension and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease,” according to the Newtown Bee. Now, his lawyers are requesting surveillance footage be released to the public which shows Jones’ last moments alive.
A 2018 statement released by the state Department of Correction (DOC) said no excessive force had been used leading to Jones’ death. “During escort and placement into [the unit], inmate Jones became noncompliant and combative with staff, and then became non responsive,” said the statement by the DOC.
“Life-saving measures were immediately initiated and Jones was transported via ambulance to a community hospital, where he was declared deceased at approximately 12:25 pm,” the statement continued. But the damning surveillance videos tells a different story.
Five months after his March 25 death, Jones’ girlfriend, Lynnette Richardson, and his mother, Jessica, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against state Department of Correction (DOC) citing excessive force, according to the Newtown Bee.
In a motion to have the disturbing footage released, Jones’ lawyers say police are seen repeatedly beating, pepper-spraying, and even throwing Jones to the ground, according to CT Insider. The footage later shows Jones completely naked and handcuffed with an irritant-soaked bag over his head.
Ron Murphy, one of two lawyers representing Jones, said the officers visible in the footage “engaged in excessive force, which caused J’Allen to become unconscious, and then engaged in deliberate indifference to J’Allen’s obvious and serious medical needs.” Jones was previously diagnosed with schizophrenia, according to the Daily Mail.
Jones’ lawyers, Murphy and Paul Spinella, allege the criminal defendants, two correctional supervisors, six correction officers, and two Garner medical unit employees, attacked Jones, kneeled on top of him for over eight minutes until he was visibly motionless. The medical officials charged allegedly failed to perform life-saving measures on the victim, according to the Newtown Bee.
The manner of Jones’ treatment draws unsettling similarities to that of George Floyd, a Black man who was killed after ex-police officer Derek Chauvin kneeled on his neck for over eight minutes in 2020.
Additionally, the prison warden has been listed as a defendant and therefore responsible for the untimely death of Jones. “The defendants acted recklessly, and their recklessness caused the death,” said the lawsuit. Attorney Murphy also noted that eight of nine of the defendants are white, while Jones was Black.
The Jones’ family lawsuit is scheduled to go to trial in February 2025. They are seeking money damages, attorneys’ fee, and additional compensation.