A mentally ill prison inmate "baked to death" inside of a Rikers Island jail cell after equipment apparently malfunctioned, the Associated Press reported.
Last month, Jerome Murdough was arrested for trespassing into a public housing complex in Harlem after he fell asleep in a stairwell. One week later, the 56-year-old veteran was found dead in his cell that heated to at least 100 degrees.
According to officials, Murdough was on anti-psychotic and anti-seizure medication, which could have made him more sensitive to heat. Officials also told the AP that he did not open a small vent in his cell, as other inmates did, to let air in.
''He basically baked to death,'' said one of the officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to the AP.
The medical examiner's office said the autopsy was inconclusive and needed to perform further testing to determine an official cause of death. Still, authorities close to the case say the details indicate heat stroke or extreme dehydration.
Murdough's mother, Alma, said she did not learn of her son's death until she was contacted by the AP last week. However, the Department of Corrections notified his public defender three days after.
''He was a very lovely, caring guy,'' Murdough said of her son, adding he sufffered from bipolar disorder and schizophrenia and had not seen him in three years.
''He had beer problems. Drinking beer. That was his downfall. Other than that, he was a very nice guy. He'd give you the shirt off his back.''
