Who Killed Estelle?
An anonymous donor has come forward offering $35,000 for information that could solve the murder of Estelle Richardson, the CCA inmate who was found dead in her solitary cell with a cracked skull and broken ribs. Alex Friedmann, the anti-private prison activist who has rallied nationwide opposition to CCA general counsel Gus Puryear, has the news after the jump.
$35,000 Reward Offered in Prisoner's In-Custody Homicide at CCA Jail
May 27, 2008
P R E S S R E L E A S E
For Immediate Release
$35,000 in Reward Money Offered in Estelle Richardson's Unsolved Murder
NASHVILLE, TENN. – On July 5, 2004, Estelle Richardson, a prisoner at the Metro-Davidson County Detention Facility, a jail operated by Corrections Corp. of America (CCA), was found unresponsive in a segregation cell. An autopsy conducted by the State Medical Examiner's office found she had a fractured skull, four broken ribs and a damaged liver. Her death was ruled a homicide.
When investigators arrived at the CCA-Metro facility they asked to see the videotape of Estelle's forcible cell extraction the day before she died. According to the Attorney General's office, the investigators were told by CCA staff that the video camera had "malfunctioned" and no video was available. Yet when an investigator asked to see the camera and inspected it, it appeared to be in working order.
In September 2005, four CCA officers – Jeremy N. Neese, Keith A. Hendricks, Joshua D. Schockman and William A. Wood – were indicted on charges of reckless homicide and aggravated assault in connection with Estelle's death. The charges were eventually dismissed in May 2007, largely because the timing of Estelle's fatal injury could not be accurately determined. A fifth CCA officer, Shirley M. Foster, who had allegedly injured Estelle three days prior to her death, was not charged.
Now, $35,000 in reward money has been offered for information related to Estelle Richardson's unsolved homicide.
$10,000 will be paid to the first person who provides information that leads to the recovery or verified proof of existence of the videotape of Estelle's cell extraction the day before her death, if one exists. $25,000 will be paid to the first person who provides information that leads to the prosecution and conviction of the person or persons directly responsible for her homicide.
The Estelle Richardson case has been raised as an issue in the pending federal judicial nomination of Gustavus A. Puryear IV, CCA's general counsel, who was questioned about her death during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on February 12, 2008. State Medical Examiner Dr. Bruce Levy wrote a strongly-worded letter to the Committee that questioned Mr. Puryear's testimony.
"The substantial reward offered in Estelle Richardson's unsolved homicide demonstrates that the lives of prisoners are not worthless," said Alex Friedmann, spokesman for Tennesseans Against Puryear, a group that opposes Mr. Puryear's judicial nomination. "While for the past four years CCA officials have been unable to explain who was responsible for Ms. Richardson's murder, this reward will hopefully shed some light on her tragic death."
For additional details about the reward in the Estelle Richardson case, please visit: www.whokilledestelle.org. For more information about Mr. Puryear's nomination in relation to the Estelle Richardson case, please visit: www.againstpuryear.org.
For further information about this press release, contact:
Alex Friedmann
Tennesseans Against Puryear
(615) 495-6568
stein919@gmail.com
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NOTE: Alex Friedmann will be distributing fliers concerning the reward money in the Estelle Richardson case to CCA employees at the Metro-Davidson County Detention Facility at 5115 Harding Place from 1:30 to 2:30pm and from 9:30 to 10:30pm on Tuesday, May 27, 2008 (weather permitting).
Comments
I DONT KNOW WHY THEY NEED A REWARD OFFERED, THEY ALREADY KNOW WHO KILLED HER, BUT THE STATE IS ALL IN THIS SHIT TOGETHER. I REALLY HOPE THIS GUY DOESNT GET TO BECOME A FEDERAL JUDGE, HE IS ALREADY SIDING WITH MURDERS!!!
Posted 07/06/2008 at 06:36:16 PMThere are a lot of Estelle Richardson documents at this site:
http://thecca360.com/pdf/RichardsonFactSheet.pdf
Posted 08/17/2008 at 07:49:50 PM