County’s Probe of Jail Death to Be Reviewed

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s internal watchdog has launched a formal review of the agency’s investigation into a jail death and related allegations of deputy misconduct, authorities said Thursday.

Michael Gennaco, head of the Office of Independent Review, said his staff would look into a number of “unanswered questions” surrounding the death of Ramon Gavira, a drunk driver who was found hanging from a noose in a one-man cell July 11, 2002.

Sheriff’s detectives and the county coroner concluded that Gavira’s death was a suicide, but Gavira’s family has alleged in a pending lawsuit that the 43-year-old father of five was either slain or driven to his death because of abuse he suffered during his six-day stay in County Jail.

Gavira died just hours before he was scheduled to be released. An autopsy revealed that although his death resulted from strangulation, he had also suffered six broken ribs, a broken clavicle, internal bleeding and bruises during his time in jail. Furthermore, he was deprived of medications for diabetes and alcohol withdrawal while incarcerated, according to records and testimony in the case.

Gavira’s death was detailed in a Times article last month. The story revealed that several inmates alleged that a female deputy -- who trains as a boxer -- had taunted and assaulted Gavira.

Kerri Webb, a sheriff’s spokeswoman, said Gavira’s death was a tragedy but denied that sheriff’s employees were responsible in any way. She said the department welcomed Gennaco’s examination of the case.

As part of his review, he has requested copies of 23 sworn depositions taken in connection with the Gavira family lawsuit, scheduled to go to trial early next year.

Evidence in the family’s wrongful death suit against the county includes a declaration from a medical expert who contends that a broken bone in Gavira’s neck was more indicative of manual strangulation than of hanging. That finding, combined with other injuries, led the expert to conclude that Gavira was slain.

After The Times article appeared last month, Gavira’s family and their attorneys attended a public meeting of the county Board of Supervisors and asked for an independent investigation of the inmate’s death.

“I don’t think anyone who goes to jail deserves to be beaten,” Gavira’s 19-year-old son, Jose, said at the time. “We need to know what happened.”