Supreme Court Refuses to Hear Cases of Man Caught on Fire by Police and of Suicidal Man put into Cell with a 30″ Phone Cord (Ligature)

The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear two Texas civil rights cases involving deaths in custody, leaving intact rulings that granted qualified immunity to law enforcement officials. One case involved Derrek Monroe, a man who died by suicide in the Coleman County Jail after being placed in a cell with a 30-inch phone cord and left unassisted by a jailer who watched as he strangled himself. The other case concerned Gabriel Olivas, who died after Arlington police used a stun gun on him while he was doused in gasoline.

The decision effectively ends both families’ efforts to seek accountability in federal court. Civil rights attorney Dean Malone, who represents Monroe’s family, has criticized the outcome as emblematic of how the qualified immunity doctrine prevents justice for individuals harmed or killed in custody.

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