Local News in Brief : Santa Ana : Families of Jail Victims Settle Suit for $450,000

The families of two men who died while in Orange County Jail have agreed to settle a claim against the county for $450,000, the families’ attorney said Wednesday.

Kevin Barry McDermott, who represents the families of John Wilcox and Arthur Oviedo, said that county officials have agreed to the pay the settlement but that the formal documents have not yet been signed.

County officials were not immediately available for comment.

The settlement stems from claims filed by the men’s families, who contended that the county was negligent in failing to prevent their deaths.

Wilcox, 71, was found dead in his cell Jan. 14, 1987. Oviedo, 25, was found strangled in his cell about 2 weeks later. Jerry Pick, a cellmate of both men, has been charged with both deaths. Pick is awaiting trial.

All three men had been housed in the jail’s medical isolation cell for exhibiting signs of mental illness.

Initial autopsy reports showed that Wilcox had died of natural causes, but a second autopsy showed that he had died from broken ribs and other injuries.

Oviedo died from a broken neck.

Their deaths became a focal point for a growing controversy over jail medical care.