Inmate Freezes to Death After Guards Put Him in Walk-In Freezer

An Alabama man froze to death in a county jail after being placed in a walk-in freezer by guards, a new lawsuit alleges.

The accusations stem from the family of Anthony “Tony” Mitchell, who say more than a dozen guards at the Walker County jail abused him and then tried to cover up their mistreatment, forcing him to deal with “hellish” conditions.

Mitchell, 33, died while in the jail.

“While Tony languished naked and dying of hypothermia in the early morning hours of Jan. 26 and his chances for survival trickled away, numerous corrections officers and medical staff wandered over to his open cell door to spectate and be entertained by his condition,” the suit reads.

Inmate Freezes to Death

Mitchell was allegedly tased by guards at the jail before being forced to walk into the freezer. He reportedly was naked while housed inside the jail, solely because he was on suicide watch. Mitchell had been suffering from both mental and physical health issues, as well as drug addiction, his family said.

He was initially arrested on Jan. 12 after police received a call from a concerned family member. Police recovered meth, heroin and a handgun at his location upon placing Mitchell into custody, reports say.

After being taken to the local jail, Mitchell was soon transported to the hospital, where his doctors found his body temperature to be just 72 degrees, indicating he had be freezing for at least several hours. His pulse was also sporadic when he arrived at the hospital.

 “It is clear that Tony’s death was wrongful, the result of horrific, malicious abuse and mountains of deliberate indifference,” the lawsuit states.

Mitchell’s attorney, Jon Goldfarb, told the New York Post that a Walker County security guard was fired after revealing a video of Mitchell’s stay at the jail.

“This is the worst case of inmate abuse I have ever seen,” Goldfarb said. “The evidence of abuse would have been buried with Tony Mitchell but for the bravery of a lone corrections officer who made videos of what really happened to Tony and shared one of them. And they fired her for exposing the truth of this abuse.”

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