Jerome Murdough was a mentally ill, homeless former U.S. Marine. Like many homeless during the winter months he was looking for a warm place to sleep during the night. He decided to sleep in a stairwell in a Harlem apartment complex and was arrested for trespassing and sent to Rikers Island Prison. It was at Rikers Island that he met his death when he was literally baked to death in his prison cell.
When prison officials pulled his unconscious body out of the cell it was found that the temperature there was well over one hundred degrees. The core temperature of Murdough’s body was at one hundred degrees also. Prison officials claim that a temperature issue in the cell that they were not aware of, combined with medication that Murdough was taking led to his death. Anonymous officials at the prison state that he died of a heat stroke and dehydration. Department of Correction spokesman Robin Campbell issued a statement that an “internal investigation will look into all circumstances of Murdough’s death, including issues of staff performance and the adequacy of procedures.” Campbell acknowledged that the temperature in Murdough’s cell was “unusually high” and steps have been taken to ensure the safety of all inmates at the prison.
The family of Murdough is distraught. They were not informed of his death until a month later and only found out then when they were contacted by a reporter regarding his death at the prison. Additionally, it was found out that Murdough’s public defender was told three days after his death and he also neglected to tell the family.
His mother, Alma Murdough, said her son “was a very nice guy, who would give you the shirt off his back.” She attributed his bipolar disorder to alcohol and his time in the Marine Corps. According to his mother, when Murdough returned from serving, he drank heavily and would disappear for long stretches of time. His family had not seen him in over three years before they received this tragic news. His sister, Wanda Mehala stated, “We want justice for what was done. He wasn’t just some old homeless person on the street. He was loved. He had a life. He had a family. He had feelings.”
