Advertisement
Criminal Justice

Family of deceased Cook County Jail inmate calls for ‘full and fair’ probe following death in custody

Chicago Tribune
•
Cook County Jail’s processing center at 27th and California in Chicago on July 21, 2022.

Cook County Jail’s processing center at 27th and California in Chicago on July 21, 2022. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)

Relatives of a Cook County Jail inmate who died Monday are calling on the Illinois State Police to complete a “full and fair investigation” of his death in custody.

Michael O’Connor, 33, was found unresponsive in his cell and pronounced dead Monday at Mount Sinai Hospital.

Advertisement

While representatives of Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart’s office said Tuesday that no foul play was suspected in O’Connor’s death, Michael O’Connor’s brother, Martin, released a statement Thursday claiming his brother’s body showed signs of being beaten.

In his statement, Martin O’Connor said that Michael O’Connor had been “treated terribly” in custody.

Advertisement

“The family was able to view pictures of Michael’s body at the funeral home, and there is evidence of bruising to his face and body consistent with an assault,” according to O’Connor’s statement.

Afternoon Briefing

Weekdays
Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox each afternoon.

He called on the Illinois State Police to “complete a full and fair investigation” of his brother’s death.

[ Cook County Jail inmate dead after found unresponsive in cell ]

An autopsy performed Tuesday failed to turn up a cause of death, with results pending a law enforcement investigation. The state police’s Public Integrity Task Force is investigating.

The family has hired attorney Michael Gallagher to represent them.

A spokesperson from Dart’s office on Thursday extended condolences to the O’Connor family in a statement and repeated that “there is no evidence of foul play in the unfortunate death of Michael O’Connor.”

O’Connor was awaiting trial on multiple felonies after he was arrested in June and accused of threatening a Chicago police officer and sending her explicit content, according to court documents.

He was held in jail on a $100,000 deposit bond that was issued shortly before cash bail was abolished in Illinois.

Records show that a judge in October ordered Michael to undergo a psychiatric examination. A hearing on whether he was fit to stand trial was scheduled for Jan. 12, per court documents.

Advertisement