A federal jury on Tuesday found the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department and an incarcerated man, Richard Matus Jr., are both responsible for Matus’ death in custody four years ago. The jury awarded a $13.5 million verdict to the Matus family.
Matus died at Cois M. Byrd Detention Center in Murrieta, California in 2022 after ingesting fentanyl-laced pruno, a homemade alcoholic beverage often made in jails and prisons. There were 18 deaths in Riverside County jail facilities in 2022 — the deadliest of any given year in two decades.
Matus and his cellmates called for help multiple times after his breathing became labored, according to Christian Contreras, an attorney for the Matus family. The jury found a Riverside County deputy, Angel Rojas, unreasonably ignored an inmate’s intercom call about Matus’ medical emergency…