Inmate "baked to death" in overheated prison cell, lawsuit alleges
CBSN
Montgomery, Alabama — A federal lawsuit against Alabama corrections officials charges that an inmate "baked to death" in an overheated prison cell two winters ago.
Thomas Lee Rutledge died of hyperthermia on Dec. 7, 2020, at William E. Donaldson Correctional Facility in Bessemer. Rutledge had an internal temperature of 109 degrees when he was found unresponsive in the mental health cell according to the lawsuit, which was filed by his sister and names prison staff, wardens and contractors as defendants.
Rutledge "was literally baked to death in his cell by excessive heat generated by the prison's heating system," according to an amended complaint filed Nov. 30. The lawsuit contends prison staff knew of problems with the heating system in the mental health unit before his death.
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