A video released by the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office shows medical staff attempting to resuscitate Elliott Williams. Screenshot
The lawsuit over Elliott Williams’ death names Sheriff Vic Regalado in his official capacity, former Sheriff Stanley Glanz in his individual capacity and the jail’s former medical provider, Correctional Healthcare Companies Inc. CHC has already settled with Williams’ estate for an undisclosed amount and has been dismissed from the lawsuit.
Williams’ case drew national attention after a video of him dying in Tulsa’s jail was released to media in April 2016.
Williams died from complications of a broken neck and showed signs of dehydration, a medical examiner’s report states. The video depicts him lying on the floor of a cell over five days while detention staff tossed trays of food at his feet and placed a cup of water out of reach.
Find our ongoing comprehensive coverage of the trial here. You can find the rest of The Frontier’s coverage on Elliott Williams and other jail deaths on this page.
Day 1
Jury selected in Elliott Williams case – The jury is made up of five women and five men. Attorneys clashed Wednesday over attempts by the defense to remove all three black jurors from the pool.
Day 2
A video released by the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office shows medical staff attempting to resuscitate Elliott Williams. Screenshot
Jurors view video of Williams’ last hours in Tulsa’s jail – During the first day of testimony in a federal trial, jurors watched a 10 minute video of Elliott Williams trying to reach food and water as he lay paralyzed on the floor of his Tulsa jail cell.
Day 3
Courtroom sketch by Evelyn Petroski
Testimony: Jailers blocked nurse from giving dying inmate water: Former TCSO Capt. Billy McKelvey testified about his investigation into the 2011 death of Elliott Williams in Tulsa’s jail. The investigation found that dozens of detention and medical staff could have helped Williams but did not because of an assumption that he was faking paralysis.
Day 4
Testimony: Sheriff’s Office had history of falsifying records – Billy McKelvey, a former Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office captain, testified Monday that the Sheriff’s Office falsified several documents involving Elliott Williams’ death.
Day 5
Courtroom sketch by Evelyn Petroski
Elliott Williams’ treatment at Tulsa’s jail ‘complete failure,’ former TCSO captain testifies -Records and interviews with jail staff paint conflicting pictures of what kind of care Williams received at the jail.
Day 6
Glanz: Williams ‘acting up’ in jail, placed in holding cell to ‘cool down’ – After Elliott Williams died, the medical examiner’s office wasn’t given a video of his last hours or told the inmate had complained about a broken neck and being unable to move.
Day 7
Michelle Robinette, then acting sheriff, stands with former Sheriff Stanley Glanz and attorney Clark Brewster outside the federal courthouse last year after a jury found TCSO violated a prisoner’s civil rights.
Glanz didn’t watch video of Williams dying in jail for more than a year: Former Sheriff Stanley Glanz testified Thursday that he didn’t watch the video of Elliott Williams dying in his jail cell until a year and a half later when preparing for a deposition. He said his staff didn’t tell him to watch it.
Day 8
Elliott Williams, seen here in an undated family photo, planned to retire early from his wholesale business and start a ministry, his brother said. Photo courtesy of Williams family.
Doctors: Williams’ death in jail was preventable: Williams wasn’t treated with dignity by jail or medical staff, Allen said. Jail staff failed to ensure Williams had food and water, and didn’t clean him up properly when he defecated on himself.
Day 9
Former Tulsa County Sheriff Stanley Glanz/ DYLAN GOFORTH/The Frontier
Former sheriff testifies on jail deaths, explains use of racially offensive term: Former Sheriff Stanley Glanz was forced to explain his use of a racially offensive term — “negronoid” — and defend his claim that he’s an honest person.
Day 10
A former jail medical records supervisor testifies that some inmates were punished by being placed on suicide watch or being fed a “loaf” of ground-up food. Meanwhile, Sheriff Stanley Glanz and other top brass directed medical staff to falsify medical charts so the jail could pass an inspection.
Day 11
The jail’s medical director refused to check on Elliott Williams even after he was told to do so, the jail’s former nursing director testified. She said Dr. Phillip Washburn “was very scattered” and she couldn’t get her work done because “I was babysitting him all day.”
Day 12
A former detention officer testified that Elliott Williams’ treatment in the jail was “disturbing” and she repeatedly tried to get jail supervisors to help him. A former inmate testifies about seeing jail staff dump Williams off of a gurney onto a shower floor. Williams’ brother testifies about his memories of the 37-year-old veteran.
The Page Belcher Federal Courthouse. DYLAN GOFORTH/The Frontier
Day 13
Attorneys: TCSO employees omitted former detention officer’s testimony in Williams’ investigation: More than 10 minutes of Tammy Hanley’s interview with detectives was either muted or deleted.
Day 14
County Commissioner Karen Keith, former Interim Sheriff Michelle Robinette and Sheriff Vic Regalado testify about their respective roles over the jail. Keith says she leaves decisions up to the sheriff while Robinette and Regalado say the jail’s medical provider is responsible for overseeing care for inmates.
Day 15
Former jail administrator walks back statement that Williams’ death ‘lacked human decency:’ On a contentious day in court, the judge also admonished Sheriff Vic Regalado for laughing during testimony
Day 16
Robinette: Former jail doctor’s practice of injecting inmates with placebos not indifferent: Tulsa County’s former medical director gave inmates injections of a saltwater “placebo,” apparently because he thought they were faking illness, states a memo shown in the Elliott Williams trial Wednesday.
Day 17
Attorneys for the plaintiff, Elliott Williams’ estate, rest their case after 17 days of testimony. A TCSO maintenance technician testifies for the defense about how the jail’s video recording system operates. A jail chaplain testifies about jail video he said shows him visiting Williams in the booking area. However, on closer inspection, the chaplain agreed the video doesn’t show him.
Verdict
Jury awards Williams family $10 million in jail death case: After seeing a video of Elliott Williams languishing on the ground paralyzed in Tulsa’s jail more than 10 times and hearing almost a month of testimony, jurors decided Monday the Sheriff’s Office was deliberately indifferent to his civil rights.
Attorney Dan Smolen, center, speaks with the media after Monday’s verdict in the Elliott Williams case. DYLAN GOFORTH/The Frontier
