CHICAGO (CBS) — Last year was a record at the Cook County Jail for inmate deaths, and one of the most violent was a brutal murder inside the jail’s mental health hospital.
Johnny Hendrix was one of 18 inmates to die in custody at Cook County Jail in 2023, and on Wednesday, his family’s attorneys announced a lawsuit against the sheriff’s department, which runs the jail.
Hendrix was beaten to death by a fellow inmate , a mental health patient who was locked in the same room with him.
The accused killer, Daquan Houston, has a decade-long documented history of attacking law enforcement, inmates, and mental health staff. He was even issued a jail ID card alerting staff of his security threat. Despite that, he was put in a locked room with other inmates, including Hendrix.
On Aug. 8, 2023, chaos erupted in the mental health services wing of the Cook County Jail.
Houston, who was being treated for mental health issues, was put in handcuffs after sheriff’s officers say he had just attacked Hendrix, who was also getting mental health treatment.