Coroner: Third inmate death of 2023 at Spartanburg jail. No signs of external force, injury.
Spartanburg County Coroner Rusty Clevenger reported Wednesday night his office was called to investigate a death at the Spartanburg County Detention Facility earlier in the afternoon. This is the third reported inmate death of 2023 at the jail.
Clevenger said in a press release to the media that the decedent is Jimmy Lee Hill, 41, of Spartanburg.
Renée Wunderlich of South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) confirmed the agency is investigating Hill's death. Wunderlich said no further details could be released.
Clevenger issued an update Thursday morning stating a forensic autopsy had been completed.
"There are no signs of external force or injury attributable to his demise," Clevenger said. "We will be following through with a toxicology analysis before making a final determination on cause and manner of death."
Hill was being held in the SCDF for weapons charges, including possession of a stolen pistol, possession of an illegal firearm and unlawful carrying of a pistol. He was also being held on a first offense charge for distributing methamphetamine and a misdemeanor of improperly displayed license plate.
Calls made for DOJ investigation: Spartanburg jail had 18 deaths between 2015 and 2021.
The Herald-Journal previously reported on the death of Forrest Edward Taylor, 42, earlier this month. His was the second death at the jail this year following the death of Casey Michelle Tate, 33. Wunderlich confirmed that SLED's investigation into Taylor's death is open and active.
Two weeks ago, the family of Lavell Lane, a man who died inside the facility in early Oct. 2022, and Darius Holcomb, a man who was shot and killed in an encounter with Sheriff's Deputies, both gathered outside the jail, to protest what they called a lack of transparency and accountability in their respective investigations.
The press conference, organized by civil rights group Racial Justice Network, included a letter to the Department of Justice, South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson, and SLED Chief Mark Keel, requesting a DOJ investigation into the facility.
This protest came weeks after a report, spearheaded by a professor at the University of South Carolina Law School, which found that the Spartanburg jail had 18 deaths between 2015 and 2021. That total is more than any other county jail in the state. There were five deaths at the jail in 2022, according to Clevenger.
Check back for updates.
Chalmers Rogland covers public safety for the Herald-Journal. Reach him via email at crogland@shj.com.
This article originally appeared on Herald-Journal: Spartanburg County jail reports third inmate death in three months
