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Lawsuit: Inmate who later died 'left to fester in his cell' by Washington County prison, medical staff

Dreamstime/TNS

Lawsuit: Inmate who later died 'left to fester in his cell' by Washington County prison, medical staff

The brother of a man who died after time spent in the Washington County Correctional Facility in 2023 has sued the county, warden, medical provider and others, alleging his brother was “left to fester in his cell” without proper medical treatment.

The lawsuit, filed Thursday by Robert Murin, names the county, warden Jeffrey Fewell, several corrections officers and medical professionals, and Prime Care Medical, the contracted medical provider for the prison.

Neither the Washington County solicitor nor a Prime Care representative could immediately be reached for comment.

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According to the lawsuit, Bentleyville police responded to the Main Street home of Andrew Murin, Robert Murin’s brother, on Sept. 13, 2022, so he could be involuntarily committed for psychiatric care. A struggle ensured, the lawsuit said, and officers used a taser to subdue him. He was charged in connection with that scuffle and taken to the Washington County Prison sometime after the incident.

The lawsuit’s timeline jumps from Andrew Murin’s incarceration to Feb. 1, 2023, and it’s not clear if he remained in the facility during the intervening 19 weeks.

“[Andrew Murin] was festering alone in his cell, seated upright in a chair, in an isolated mental health ward of the Washington County Prison, when he slumped over” sometime on Feb. 1, 2023, according to the lawsuit. He was taken to a hospital and remained on life support until his death eight days later.

Mr. Murin’s lawsuit indicates the nature of his brother’s death included pneumonia and a bleeding ulcer, although the filing stopped short of listing an official cause of death. The lawsuit says prison officials knew of his conditions and should have known they were offering inadequate medical care.

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“Despite showing signs of continued physical and behavioral health concerns, [Andrew Murin] was given less than the minimum care required by … Washington County and Prime Care,” according to the lawsuit, which claimed the facility did not have the proper medical staff and that the prison and health care staff who were there failed to share inmates’ symptoms among themselves.

“Defendants knew of the dangers posed by these policies and customs,” the lawsuit alleged.

First Published: January 30, 2025, 10:20 p.m.
Updated: January 31, 2025, 6:01 p.m.

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 (Dreamstime/TNS)
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