DIES YOUNG, DIES HORRIBLY — The death occurred in the Fulton County jail ini Atlanta, Georgia, where Thompson was eaten alive by bedbugs and perhaps other insects, according to family attorney Michael Harper. “They put that man in that cell, left him there to die . . . and that’s exactly what happened,” Harper said.

This photo, which turned up as I was seeking more information on line, will perhaps have more mental impact on the minds of my readers — who had only the words of my last week’s blog to read and by which to judge . . . and dealt with only in part the Thompson death. As far as I can discover, the cause of death has not been officially determined — although it appears rather obvious. A private autopsy was being pursued.

Jail records show that medical staff and detention personnel noticed Thompson was deteriorating, but they didn't help him, an attorney said. "They literally watched his health decline until he died," said Harper. "When his body was found, one of the detention officers refused to administer CPR because in her words she 'freaked out.’"

Thompson had over 1,000 bites, and insects were found in his mouth, ears, nose and across his body. Fulton County Sheriff Patrick Labat, who spoke at a press conference alongside the Thompson family and attorneys, said: "We understand that this is absolutely unconscionable, point blank.” Thompson's death still was being investigated by the Office of Professional Standards and Atlanta Police Department, the sheriff said. Three of Fulton County Jail's staff had resigned and an ongoing internal investigation was continuing as this blog was being written.

Thompson, who reportedly had schizophrenia, was arrested on June for a misdemeanor simple battery charge and placed into the psychiatric wing of the Fulton County Jail. He was discovered unresponsive on September 13.

During a news conference on April 13, graphic photos of Thompson’s deceased body were shown to which his brother, Brad McCrae, compared what he saw to photos of Emmett Till‘s decades ago. Emmett Till was a 14-year-old African-American boy who was beaten/tortured and lynched on Aug. 28, 1955. He was dragged out of his great-uncle’s home in Money, Mississippi, where his mother had sent him from Chicago for the summer. Days later, his brutally beaten, disfigured body, weighted down with a cotton gin fan tied to his body with barbed wire, was pulled from the Tallahatchie River.

The Till story broke again, coincidentally, with announcement April 28 of the death at 88 of the white woman at whom the 14-year-old Black boy reportedly had whistled in a grocery store. If he were still alive today, he would have lived, perhaps enjoying at least in part, another 68 years. There were no legal convictions in his cruel and horrible death. See detail in the Times April 26/27 or on the Internet,

The foregoing is not exactly ancient history. It happened during my early adult years at the Leader as an addition to the editorial staff (and a stringer for Associated Press).

And as I wrote last week, the Eighth Amendment to the U. S. Constitution states: “Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.”

CRUEL AND UNUSUAL PUNISHMENT is a phrase in common law describing punishment that is considered unacceptable due to the suffering, pain or humiliation it inflicts on the person subjected to the sanction. The precise definition varies by jurisdiction, but typically includes punishments that are arbitrary, unnecessary, overly severe compared to the crime, or not generally accepted in society. —Wikipedia

Under the Eighth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, individuals convicted of a crime have the right to be free of "cruel and unusual" punishment while in jail or prison. This means that after criminal defendants are convicted and sentenced, the Constitution still acts to guarantee their fundamental rights during confinement and treatment by corrections personnel.

This blog was being written last weekend. so latest developments in this case may possibly be found on the Internet.