Harvey Hill was "murdered" by jail guards in May after he was arrested on a trespassing charge, said his sister, Katrina Nettles.

Nine months after Hill's death at the Madison County jail, his family is still searching for answers: Why haven't authorities released the autopsy report? Why has no one given them information from the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation's probe into Hill's death?

More:Family of inmate: 'He got arrested and died. It's been 2 weeks and that's all we know.'

Attorneys representing Hill's family announced Tuesday they are suing the county, the sheriff and others they believe should be held responsible. They said they hope the lawsuit will bring more information to light.

"Everything is clouded in secrecy and it's not right," said Derek Sells, a New York-based attorney with the Cochran Firm.

Hill's family was told that he went into possible cardiac arrest. They don't believe it. The 36-year-old man had no history of high blood pressure or heart problems, said Grenada-based attorney Carlos Moore, also with the Cochran Firm.

The wrongful death lawsuit alleges jail guards handcuffed, "brutally" beat and pepper sprayed Hill, then threw him into his cell without medical assistance.

Hill was found dead the next morning, a day after his arrest, the lawsuit says. He was transported to the Merit Health Central Hospital in Jackson and was officially pronounced dead.

The lawsuit alleges Hill's Fourth, Fifth, Eight and 14th Amendment rights were violated.

The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation would not comment on Hill's death because it is an ongoing investigation. Messages left for Madison County Sheriff Randy Tucker and county administrator Shelton Vance have not yet been returned.

Hill's other sister, Cassandra Hill, called her brother "a good man."

"He didn't deserve any of what happened that day. We need answers. Our most important thing is justice," Hill said during a news conference on Tuesday.

What happened, according to the family's lawsuit

Hill was arrested for trespassing on May 6. Moore said Hill was on the porch of a former employer, who he was still friends with. Hill was asked to leave but he did not so the police were called, Moore said.

Later that day, Hill was involved with an altercation between inmates at the detention center, Sells said. The lawsuit alleges a jailer — identified only by his last name, Bufford — tried to stop the altercation and assaulted Hill.

"Defendant Bufford believed that Mr. Hill did not show him proper deference and/or respect," the lawsuits says.

Afterwards, Hill returned to his cell and a group of jailers came and got him, the lawsuit says, and they handcuffed, beat and pepper sprayed him.

Hill was pronounced dead on May 7. Within two days an autopsy was completed, the attorneys said. The family is still waiting on the report.

"That is totally unacceptable," Moore said. "Had the results been in the county's favor, they would have released them by now."

Sells said there are a "multitude" of witnesses who saw what happened to Hill.

"There could be nothing worse than to have someone who didn't deserve to die be killed for no reason," Sells said.

The lawsuit asks the court to award the family compensation but does not specify a dollar amount.

"You can't really put a price on a person's life, especially someone who was as special as Harvey was to his family. And so trying to put any amount of money as potential recoveries - it's offensive to the family," Sells said.

Other deaths in Madison County jail

Hill wasn't the only death at the Madison County Detention Center that drew suspicion last year, Moore said.

Moore said there were three such deaths at the jail in 2018, including that of a pregnant woman.

"Why is it Madison County? I believe the sheriff needs to do some soul searching. Is he the problem? Or is the people he's hiring the problem? ....Something is amiss and we're going to finally get to the bottom of it," said Moore.

Hill's mother, Betty Hill, said her son was "a good boy."

"I just want justice to be served," she said.

Family members have previously told the Clarion Ledger that Hill loved playing basketball with the neighborhood kids, his dogs and his family.

The defendants named in the lawsuit include Madison County, Tucker, Master Sgt. James Ingram, a jailer by the last name Bufford and 10 unnamed jail employees.

Contact Alissa Zhu at azhu@gannett.com. Follow @AlissaZhu on Twitter.