The family of Stanley Wilson Jr. said that before his death on February 1, the 40-year-old former NFL player was beaten by Los Angeles County law enforcement officers. The family made the claim in a damages lawsuit filed Tuesday with the county Board of Supervisors.
Wilson was arrested for trespassing in November 2022 and detained at the Twin Towers Correctional Center in Los Angeles. The former cornerback was held there because he was deemed too incompetent to stand trial, John C. Carpenter, the family’s attorney, told NBC News. Wilson, whom Carpenter said had a history of mental illness, had no known medical problems causing sudden death as of Jan. 31, Carpenter said, «however, by 9:30 a.m. the next day, he was dead.» .
Wilson’s family was told different accounts of the circumstances surrounding their son’s death by the county coroner’s investigator, Carpenter said. The first was that she collapsed and died in his cell at Twin Towers, he said. Later, Carpenter said a second report indicated that he died in the ambulance on the way to Metropolitan State Hospital, a psychiatric facility. The family was then told that he “fell out of the chair” and died when medical providers asked him admitting questions, Carpenter said.
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Wilson’s death.
“We don’t know who was with him at the time he died,” Carpenter said, “and we don’t know what attempts were made to save his life. But a healthy 40-year-old man should not have died like this.»
The family said they have not been told what caused her death or why she had multiple bruises and bumps on her body. They are also not sure if he was in the custody of the sheriff’s department or correctional officers at the time of his death.
«We don’t know what the truth is and that is why we filed the claim,» Carpenter said, «so we can get to the bottom of it and find out the truth of what happened to Stanley Wilson Jr.»
When Wilson’s parents requested their son’s medical records at Metropolitan State Hospital, administrators told them he was never admitted, Carpenter added. Wilson’s parents said they have yet to receive the autopsy report from either the county coroner or a private investigator they hired. Wilson’s law firm and family took photos of him after viewing his body. The bruises on Wilson’s head and hands, in photos seen by NBC News, prompted the family to file damages claims with the county. Carpenter said the ligature marks on Wilson’s wrists indicate that he was immobilized at the time of his death. This contradicts what the county told Wilson’s family — that there were no marks on his body, she said.
Three separate claims for damages were filed with the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Wilson’s behalf, including one from his father and former NFL running back Stanley Wilson Sr., and his mother, D. Pulane Lucas, an educator and homeowner. of a business. The Wilson estate filed the third claim. Los Angeles County has 45 days to review the claim.
A Los Angeles County spokesperson told NBC News that it offers «its deepest condolences to Mr. Wilson’s family» but that they cannot comment on the pending litigation. The spokesperson also said that his office has not yet received the claims and, according to his understanding, Wilson «died after his transfer to Metro State Hospital.»
After playing for Stanford University, Wilson was written up in the third round of the 2005 NFL draft by the Detroit Lions. He played cornerback for three seasons and I was 86 tackles during his NFL career before suffering a knee injury in 2007 and an Achilles tendon injury during the 2008 preseason.
wilson was arrested repeatedlyincluding in June 2017 for trying to break into a stranger’s home.
TO ceremony Wilson’s celebration of life took place at the Crenshaw Christian Center in Los Angeles on Saturday.
While Wilson’s family is seeking $45 million in damages, what the family really wants is the truth, Carpenter said. Mentally ill people, like Wilson Jr., are treated as “fringes,” she said, adding that Los Angeles County was responsible for him.
“Everything that was admitted to his body was controlled by the county,” Carpenter said. “Every piece of food, every piece of medicine, everything that is bought, everything. They were in complete total control. And the least the county can do is tell the grieving parents what happened to his son – the truth.”