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28yr Old Sandra Bland, Died In Police Custody. Murder Or Suicide???

Mata Hari

Mata Hari

Dirty Gutter Bitch
http://gawker.com/cops-release-new-details-in-bizarre-jailhouse-death-of-1719219724

Sandra Bland, a 28-year-old Chicago woman, was found dead in a Texas jail cell last week. Cops say her death was a suicide; her family says it was murder. Now, authorities are releasing new details about her mysterious death, including a rough timeline of her final morning in jail....
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The case is apparently being investigated as a potential murder and will likely be turned over to a grand jury, but in the meantime, a sketchy timeline—partially supported by video—has emerged....
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A Waller County sheriff’s official described a timeline for the jail cell of the woman, Sandra Bland, that started early in the morning of July 13, when she refused a breakfast tray around 6:30 a.m., until a jailer found her hanging shortly after 9 a.m. For about 90 minutes during that period, there was no movement by jail officials in the hallway leading to her cell, according to a video that the authorities released from a camera inside the jail.
...
Capt. Brian Cantrell of the Waller County Sheriff’s Office said that Ms. Bland replied “I’m fine” when a jailer was conducting rounds shortly after 7 a.m. and later inquired about how to make a phone call. But shortly after 9 a.m., a female jailer saw Ms. Bland hanging in her cell and summoned help. Other officers and emergency medical personnel tried unsuccessfully to administer CPR.
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Cops say Bland committed suicide by hanging herself with a plastic bag, a conclusion her family says makes no sense.
Her relatives “make valid points” that Bland seemed to “have a lot of things going on in her life for good,” Waller County district attorney Elton Mathis tells the Times.
According to the AP, Mathis has asked the Texas Rangers, who are investigating Bland’s death, to perform “extensive scientific testing for fingerprints, touch DNA and use any other valid investigative techniques.”
The FBI is reportedly investigating the jailhouse hard drives to ensure the surveillance video wasn’t manipulated.
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At the very least, I am glad the police/FBI whoever is taking this more seriously than I am sure many other jail deaths have been.
 
This is one of the most baffling stories I've read in a long time.

What motive would either side have to commit such an extreme act?

Maybe she sustained a head injury during her arrest?
 
Sandra Bland was pronounced dead in her Texas jail cell early Monday owing to “self inflicted asphyxiation. “ That is what authorities maintain.

Friends and family, as reported by investigators with ABC WLS news, say that it is simply ludicrous to suggest Bland strangled herself, especially in light of new video taken by an eye witness to her arrest.

Bland, coming from the Chicago suburb of Naperville, was reportedly in Texas because of a job opportunity. On Friday, July 10th, she was arrested within Waller County for “assault on a public servant,” after allegedly being stopped for an improper lane change.

Bland’s friends and family maintain that she was outspoken about issues of police brutality. According to the available witness footage, Bland can be seen restrained on the ground, and is audibly irate with the arresting officer, at one point telling the officer, “You just slammed my head into the ground!” The officer reportedly told the witness to stop filming and to leave the vicinity.

The footage does not record what happened prior to the restraint, although an eye witness claims to have seen the officer pull Bland from her car and throw her to the ground. There is speculation that additional witness video exists and may come to light.

After being taken to county jail on Friday, Bland was pronounced dead at 9 am Monday. It is currently disputed as to how her reported “self asphyxiation” was administered. Whilst Waller County maintains that Bland committed suicide, Texas State Rangers have undertaken an investigation concerning her death.
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From http://libertyupward.com/black-live...n-jail-cell-from-self-inflicted-asphyxiation/
 
I agree, this is another bout of police bullshit. In jail for a fucking traffic stop and decides suicide is the answer? Ummmm...pure bullshit.

I remember a story from about ten or so years ago, a guy who supposedly committed suicide in jail by hanging. The autopsy showed boot marks (just like the boots the police wore), and taser burns all over the guy's body. And was dubbed a "suicide."
 
I searched and found three cases where men have hung themselves in texas jails in the past couple of years none were in this county, referring to "Valascas" post. But anyway I think she did it herself, she was depressed she sounded crazy in the video imo and wouldnt she have screamed if someone came in and was trying to hang her, the whole jail would have had to be in on it.
 
We'll know soon enough if the tape hasn't been messed with it was suicide
If she killed herself she had a lot more issues than this arrest
 
I've heard about this story over the past weekend from various news channels and IMO the parents are grieving and cannot make sense of her death, but the video documentation of her jail cell showing no one had access to her, she had access to a trash bag (as all cells have one), and a history of posting videos this year about her battle with depression raises some good arguments why this could be, in fact, a suicide after all.

And @reneelvsbrian , you make an excellent point about the whole jail being in on it if it were murder. In all these interviews and news stories playing on TV, I haven't heard the family's attorney say they have witnesses in the county jail who heard an altercation or yelling.

Many families are left absolutely blindsided by suicide and spend years never finding the answer that explains why their loved ones killed themselves. If they need to file lawsuits against the city to get some answers, then so be it because they are in a world of helpless misery right now. God be with them in their hour of need. <3

Trash bags have been removed from all cells at the jail and inmates are being checked on hourly, according to the sheriff's department.
...
"To know Sandy was to love her," she said. "She was someone who was extremely spontaneous, spunky, outgoing, truly filled with life and joy. So when you think through the circumstances shared with us through this point, this is unimaginable."

Mathis, the prosecutor, said: "Ms. Bland's family does make valid points that she did have a lot of things going on in her life that were good."

But investigators were examining online videos posted by Bland in March in which she talked about battling depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, according to Mathis.
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http://www.cnn.com/2015/07/21/us/texas-sandra-bland-jail-death-explain/index.html
 
What is the census of the jail vs staff ratio? It looks like a very small jail. Many "guests" of the jail sure as hell will not speak up if something indeed happened.

When a deputy can take a 7 year old in accused of rape, literally throw the boy into a cell, then throw a bible at his head and hit him with it and tell the child that the child will burn in hell for what he did to that poor little girl. And nothing even happens to them at all. This happened in front of other jail staff. I remember it perfectly. (oh, BTW it was the little girl's father that raped her and he was never charged, the parents just got divorced)

I believe that they think they can literally get away with murder.
 
MRClayton69 said:
What is the census of the jail vs staff ratio? It looks like a very small jail. Many "guests" of the jail sure as hell will not speak up if something indeed happened.

When a deputy can take a 7 year old in accused of rape, literally throw the boy into a cell, then throw a bible at his head and hit him with it and tell the child that the child will burn in hell for what he did to that poor little girl. And nothing even happens to them at all. This happened in front of other jail staff. I remember it perfectly. (oh, BTW it was the little girl's father that raped her and he was never charged, the parents just got divorced)

I believe that they think they can literally get away with murder.
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Al that may be true, but we are discussing this case and if the video shows no one entering then its suicide, end of story doesn't matter what you or anyone else saw elsewhere
 
I am leaning towards murder as well. Why was no one doing rounds every hour? It's too easy to knock someone out and then think you can cover it up with a fake hanging. I would ask for a couple different autopsies.

I am just glad the FBI are involved (not that they are infallible) and not just the little rinky dink town police who would likely cover up for each other.
 
Mata Hari said:
It's too easy to knock someone out
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Which would likely show phsycial injry of some sort.

People killing themselves or at least attempting to in jails and prisons is not that irregular an occurrence. I fail to see why anyone would jump to "murder" in this case. Dumb story and a waste of investigatory resources.
 
JackBurton said:
Which would likely show phsycial injry of some sort.
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And no one has said there wasn't any.

JackBurton said:
People killing themselves or at least attempting to in jails and prisons is not that irregular an occurrence.
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Well, yeah - people kill themselves in prison. But in a local lock-up? That seems odd right there. Growing up, I had a friend go to prison and he hung himself. I always wondered if it was the guilt of what he did to end up in prison (beat a guy to death) or something that happened to him in prson (rape, got beat up, I dunno?) that made him do it.

I don't think this lady had any reason to kill herself and I think that is why they are investigating. And don't give me that "she was depressed" bullshit, plenty of people are depressed, they don't usually hang themselves.
 
Valasca said:
Murdered. No doubt in my mind. With a garbage bag? Bitch, please.
The exact same jail had a similar situation. Damned if I can find the link now.
Similar circumstances. Traffic stop, arrest, taken in. He was alive at lights out. The next morning he was found hanged.
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What I don't understand, is if she planned to kill herself, why was she asking her family to raise her bond money? This whole scene is fucked up. As for the police dash cam, why does it seem edited as fuck?
 
Mata Hari said:
I am leaning towards murder as well. Why was no one doing rounds every hour? It's too easy to knock someone out and then think you can cover it up with a fake hanging. I would ask for a couple different autopsies.

I am just glad the FBI are involved (not that they are infallible) and not just the little rinky dink town police who would likely cover up for each other.
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Another possibility I thought about was she gotten sick and died naturally in the cell (could be from her hitting her head), and they tried to cover it up as suicide. It could be far fetched, but you never know.
 
Mata Hari said:
And no one has said there wasn't any.



Well, yeah - people kill themselves in prison. But in a local lock-up? That seems odd right there. Growing up, I had a friend go to prison and he hung himself. I always wondered if it was the guilt of what he did to end up in prison (beat a guy to death) or something that happened to him in prson (rape, got beat up, I dunno?) that made him do it.

I don't think this lady had any reason to kill herself and I think that is why they are investigating. And don't give me that "she was depressed" bullshit, plenty of people are depressed, they don't usually hang themselves.
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Exactly! Hell, I'M depressed AND anxious. I've contemplated suicide quite a few times, BUT I have too much to live for.
 
m0skau said:
Bland can be seen restrained on the ground, and is audibly irate with the arresting officer, at one point telling the officer, “You just slammed my head into the ground!” The officer reportedly told the witness to stop filming and to leave the vicinity.
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Wow...I've been pulled over and arrested for possession of cocaine with less drama than that. She should have backed up her accusation with a threat...You just smashed my head into the ground...I'm going to tell...or...I'm not swearing at you...do not swear at me again or i'm going to tell. or I know the difference between a good arrest and a bad one...and if you do this wrong...I'm telling...all of a sudden those police wanna be your best friend...treat you nice...at least in my experience.
 
While this case clearly needs a thorough investigation done because right now there are more questions than answers, I still see either alternative manner of death as a possibility.

While it's true that not all people who are depressed commit suicide, it is also true that some people do. Even more than that fact is that some people who suffer from depression and ultimately commit suicide do so during a period where they appear to loved ones as getting better, cured, or stabilized. It tends to be because they have made up their minds to end their lives, they have a plan and they know that their inner turmoil is ending. It's very hard for families to understand and comes to terms with because their loved one seemed better but they were only better because in their minds they had figured out the end of their suffering.

I have seem reports that Bland had suffered from depression and PTSD, a combination of illnesses that can be devastating, look at the number of military vets who have committed suicide with that combination, and yes, there are many out there that haven't done themselves harm with the same combination. But every person's suffering with mental illness is different, everyone's reaction is different.

My grandfather committed suicide after a nearly 30 year battle with the demons of mental illness, including what would be diagnosed today as depression and PTSD today, he was a WW II Army medic, he saw Hell daily. He had a wife, 4 children and 2 grandchildren at the time. They all knew he had "issues" but say he was better in the weeks leading up to his suicide. Better because he knew that his pain was finally about to end. He did some things that he wanted to do and then sent his family away one night, the night that he shot himself. Despite his knowledge of guns he still loaded the shotgun wrong and on top of successfully blowing a hole in the back of his head he also managed to blow his hands apart when the gun exploded when he pulled the trigger.

What I'm trying to say is that we can't predict how her mental health issues effected her, every person with mental illness is different. There needs to be an investigation because at this point I think manner of death could still be either.
 
I had a cousin commit suicide when I was young. Guy seemed to have everything going for him. A stunning wife, two beautiful children, a great job in the Pharmaceutical industry, he occasionally modeled just because he could... Hung himself in a closet. His immediate family clung to the possible murder scenario for a long time.

That said, "if the video shows/doesn't show," is no good these days either. Grade school children can edit video.

I'll be curious what the autopsy has to say.
 
Just throwing this out there as a general/ neutral thing for consideration (time constraints right now) since I taught these courses to new LEOs here re: first time arrestees being among the highest risk group for suicide.

AJA:
https://members.aja.org/onlineTraining.aspx - "

ACA:
http://www.aca.org/ACA_Prod_IMIS/It...bsiteKey=139f6b09-e150-4c56-9c66-284b92f21e51
 
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Just because I've been suicidal in the past doesn't mean inam today.
A vehicle violation is NOT something to kill yourself
This is horseshit.
Somewhere I read "Wouldn't she have screamed if she was being attacked."
What makes anyone think a jail is quiet? What if the person who murdered her covered her mouth? That kind of screaming isn't as loud as actual screaming.
 
I'll be glad when the cam footage is authenticated and as Athena mentioned, when the coroner's report is in. Anyone know if they're using an independent Coroner/ME? I haven't had time to research all the source info yet.

@Kittyskyfish commented:
"...she had access to a trash bag (as all cells have one)..."
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This fascinates me. Where I live, IME, that's a *huge* no-no for this express reason, in addition to the fact they can/will use the bags to make jailhouse hooch. They all have to bring their trash out of their rooms and put it in the trash containers sitting out in their pod's common area. I agree this must be a pretty small jail who probably doesn't have to follow AJA guidelines. :confused:
 
Why would she kill herself? Let's look at her situation. She's under a lot of stress because she just left Chicago to live far away in Texas for her brand new job. Monday morning she's AWOL from work, sitting in the county lock-up. Is she thinking about her arrest or would her new employer take "stuck in jail" as a valid absence excuse? Is she afraid they'll fire her?

Taking her self-stated history of depression, the fear of job loss and the financial strain of unemployment + court costs associated with an arrest, all that could lead to a strong feeling of hopelessness. But even if that sounds far-fetched, it seems to me a county employee killing her in her jail cell without a damned good reason is more far-fetched. She's hadn't even been in lockup for three days, not long enough to create a personal animosity strong enough with a jailer to willingly risk everything to kill her, and that includes anyone else in the employ who'd risk prison for conspiracy. Maybe she was killed to cover up a rape, which would be the only remotely plausible reason to kill her, but that hasn't come out. If not rape, then why? Why risk everything for no real incentive?
 
Athena said:
I had a cousin commit suicide when I was young. Guy seemed to have everything going for him. A stunning wife, two beautiful children, a great job in the Pharmaceutical industry, he occasionally modeled just because he could... Hung himself in a closet. His immediate family clung to the possible murder scenario for a long time.

That said, "if the video shows/doesn't show," is no good these days either. Grade school children can edit video.

I'll be curious what the autopsy has to say.
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I don't know why I'm bothering to reply, since your post are usually long winded and irrational, but I don't think school children could fool experts compromising video and on top of no witnesses this would involve a huge conspiracy to kill a nobody
 
biteme said:
I don't know why I'm bothering to reply, since your post are usually long winded and irrational, but I don't think school children could fool experts compromising video and on top of no witnesses this would involve a huge conspiracy to kill a nobody
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I don't know why you bothered responding either, since you're defending against a point I never made. I made no comment about whether I think she killed herself or not.

I made a point on each side. 1.) Families can irrationally cling to a murder theory because they're unable to rationalize suicide. 2.) Video evidence is easily tampered with these days, so video showing no one entering the cell can be fairly simply manufactured.

Geez, biteme. I know you can't stand it when I walk into a thread, but at least wait to pick on me for when I say something actually controversial. :hilarious:
 
I am truly at a loss on this one. I've watched the dash cam video, and right away I noticed that there seemed to be the same car driving by. At first I thought it was just someone being nosy, but I read an article today (can't find link now!) that said the police department stated there was a glitch in the video, but that it's ok because the audio never was interrupted. Apparently another video was released that does not appear to have the glitch...I haven't seen that one yet.
I'm confused as to why she was still in jail after 3 days for resisting arrest. That seems a bit excessive, considering she doesn't appear to have a criminal history. Why wasn't she released on her own recognizance? Why was the bond so high?
The article I read also stated that she was starting a new job at her alma mater, a university, so she had to have passed a background check. It seems to me she was an upstanding citizen, but maybe with her history of depression the arrest jeopardized her new job and she felt like there was no other way out. If it was murder, then every single person in that jail would need to be in on it, and I find that a little hard to believe.
Again, so many questions that become more and more mysterious as I read more information on this. Whatever the outcome, so sad that a young woman with promise is no longer on this earth.
 
A Texas TV station says it has obtained a voicemail from a call Sandra Bland made from jail in which she told a friend that she couldn't believe what was happening to her.

The Illinois woman was charged with assaulting a public servant after a July 10 traffic stop in Texas turned confrontational. She was found dead in her cell three days later in what the medical examiner ruled a suicide by hanging. Her family disputes that finding.

KTRK-TV in Houston says the call was to friend LaVaughn Mosley.

In the message, Bland calmly says she's "still just at a loss for words honestly at this whole process" and wonders, "How did switching lanes with no signal turn into all of this?"

One of Bland's sisters has said she sounded "very aggravated" in a separate call to her from jail.
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Voicemail can be heard at link: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry...e6e4b0a9b94853d4a4?ncid=fcbklnkushpmg00000047
 
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