Civil Trial Begins In 2011 Death Of Tulsa County Jail Inmate

Thursday, February 23rd 2017, 5:59 pm

By: Amy Slanchik

The civil trial about the 2011 death of a Tulsa County jail inmate is wrapping up its first day. The man's estate is suing for cruel and unusual punishment and neglect.

Thursday, the plaintiff's attorney called a former corporal with the Tulsa County Sheriff's Office to the stand. He talked about his investigation into the man's death.

The plaintiff's attorneys went through a timeline of Elliott Williams' time at the jail, showing the jury parts of surveillance video of his cell.

They argue food was thrown at him “like he's an animal” and that he did not have water within reach.

2/15/2017 Related Story: Judge Refuses To Disqualify Himself In Lawsuit Over Tulsa Inmate's Death

The former corporal, Billy McKelvey, said he found in his investigation that Williams did not receive the appropriate care during his time at the jail.

The plaintiff's attorneys argue that Williams complained of having a broken neck and said several times he couldn't move, but a doctor didn't see him until three days after the complaints.

McKelvey's investigation shows two days after that, a visiting doctor said Williams needed to be taken to a hospital, but that never happened, and three hours later he was found dead.

Defense attorneys argue the video shown in court is "not even a trailer to the movie. It's snippets and cuts to make something sensational."

The defense also argues Williams made at least two attempts to kill himself in the weeks leading up to his death, saying "on the last one, he was successful."

Thursday in court, the jury, along with two of Williams’ siblings, watched condensed versions of surveillance video from Williams' jail cell.

A third sibling is expected to testify later in the trial.