“Mother Seeks Accountability for Son’s Suicide in Westchester County Jail: Lawsuit Alleges Negligence in Transfer to Federal Custody”

– Westchester County NY lawsuit Bronx man’s mother jail suicide
– Westchester County NY lawsuit Bronx man’s mother sues jail over suicide.

Accident – Death – Obituary News : The mother of a 22-year-old Bronx man who tragically died by suicide hours after being transferred into federal custody is seeking justice and accountability from Westchester County officials. Liza Pizarro has filed a federal lawsuit against Westchester County and the county jail’s medical personnel, alleging that they failed to warn her son, Daruis, about his rapidly declining mental state before transferring him to a federal detention center.

According to the lawsuit, because Daruis did not receive adequate warning about his mental health condition on his transfer paperwork, federal officials immediately placed him in an unguarded cell wearing only a T-shirt. Tragically, he used that T-shirt to hang himself shortly thereafter. In an emotional interview, Pizarro tearfully recalled how red flags were ignored and expressed her belief that her son’s death could have been prevented if the system had not failed him.

Daruis had been booked into the Westchester County jail in August 2022 while awaiting trial in federal court on armed robbery charges. The lawsuit highlights Daruis’ longstanding mental health struggles and asserts that his time at the county jail was tumultuous from the beginning. Following his intake assessment, he was briefly placed on suicide watch, indicating the severity of his mental disorder.

Throughout his incarceration, officials struggled to provide Daruis with appropriate treatment, as detailed in the lawsuit and supporting documents. Despite being diagnosed with an unspecified mood disorder, he soon began exhibiting signs of psychosis. The lawsuit references multiple instances where Daruis appeared to be losing touch with reality, including rambling and exhibiting delusional behavior.

Pizarro attributes her son’s mental health struggles to the death of his brother, Julian Oden, in 2020. She believes that Daruis’ grief over losing his brother, who was also his best friend and confidant, significantly impacted his mental well-being. Contrary to the image painted by officials accusing Daruis of armed robbery, his family remembers him as a talented poet and musician with aspirations of becoming an engineer. His sister, Ameera Bing, emphasized how much her own son looked up to and admired his uncle.

Unfortunately, Daruis’ mental health challenges worsened during his time in jail, leading to a downward spiral. Officials at the jail seemingly recognized the severity of his psychiatric state. In an email exchange prior to his transfer into federal custody, a mental health director from Wellpath, the private company responsible for healthcare services at the jail, questioned whether Daruis could be returned to federal custody to receive the higher level of care he needed. The same official also described Daruis as psychotic and behaviorally dysregulated, refusing voluntary psychiatric treatment.

However, when Westchester County officials eventually transferred Daruis to federal custody, they allegedly downplayed the nature of his psychiatric condition, setting in motion the tragic events that would lead to his death. When an inmate is transferred, Westchester County provides the receiving agency with forms outlining the individual’s mental health condition. The lawsuit claims that Westchester personnel failed to complete one such special precaution form, which would have provided critical information about Daruis’ mental state.

The only medical information available to federal officials during the transfer was a custodial transfer form, which was filled with errors and inaccuracies. It included only two outdated and incomplete medical records that obscured Daruis’ psychiatric condition and suicide risk. The checkbox indicating whether Daruis had been on suicide watch or experienced psychiatric decompensation within the past month was left unchecked. Additionally, under the header labeled “OTHER MEDICAL PROBLEMS,” officials falsely stated that there were none.

As a result, Daruis was placed alone in an unguarded cell after his transfer, with only a T-shirt provided to him. Tragically, he used this T-shirt to hang himself. Attorney Katherine Rosenfeld, representing Liza Pizarro, described the death as preventable and all the more tragic due to the lack of proper care and information provided during the transfer process.

Westchester County declined to comment on the lawsuit, and a spokesperson for Wellpath did not respond to a request for comment. The Federal Bureau of Prisons, which operates the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn where Daruis was transferred, only provided an old press release announcing his death.

The tragic death of Daruis Pizarro serves as a stark reminder of the importance of proper mental health care within the criminal justice system. It highlights the need for comprehensive protocols and effective communication to ensure the well-being and safety of individuals in custody. As the lawsuit seeks justice for Daruis’ untimely death, it also raises broader questions about the systemic failures that may have contributed to this tragedy.

Asher Stockler, a reporter for The Journal News and the USA Today Network New York, contributed to this article. He can be reached at astockler@lohud.com or securely at asher.stockler@protonmail.com..

1. “Westchester County NY lawsuit Bronx man’s mother jail suicide”
2. “Lawsuit Westchester County NY Bronx man’s mother jail suicide”.