Chicago Jailers Publicly Call Detainee Death a Medical Emergency, Privately Admit Guard Brutality
After Corey Ulmer, 41, died at Chicago’s Cook County Jail on June 21, 2024, deputies of Sheriff Tom Dart informed the detainee’s survivors that “he went to the hospital, and unfortunately he didn’t make it,” recalled Robert Robinson, the dead man’s stepfather. Three days later a Sheriff’s Department spokesman reiterated that Ulmer died of a “medical emergency.”
But just two days after that, on June 26, 2024, an internal report by the sergeant in charge at the time documented a violent confrontation, during which Ulmer became “combative” and tried to “head butt” him; after that, guards beat Ulmer and body-slammed him before a nurse injected him with sedatives. Ulmer, who was bipolar, was sedated with his hands cuffed in front of him, according to the report by Sgt. Enrique Reyes, before the nurse was “unable to get vitals” from the detainee. Yet the following day, on June 27, 2024, Sheriff’s Dart’s spokesman still insisted that “Mr. Ulmer died after suffering a medical emergency.”
Ulmer was incarcerated for violating the terms of his release on electronic monitoring to await trial for brandishing a pocketknife at a bus stop during a bipolar episode in January 2023. His attorney in that case, Jonathan S. Goldman, recalled that Ulmer “was a nice guy in a tight spot, and I felt for him.” Jesse Guth, another attorney and former county prosecutor hired by Ulmer’s family members after his death, said they were “shocked and outraged.”
Robinson recalled that his stepson “was fine when I talked to him” two days before he died. “He wasn’t delusional or anything. I don’t know what happened.” Meanwhile, 11 staffers have been reassigned at the jail. Results of an autopsy were still pending in early August 2024.
More from this issue:
- Turn Key Health Clinics: Another Private Jail Medical Provider Leaving a Trail of Death and Misery, by David Reutter
- Bruce Johnson 1950–2024, by Paul Wright
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Washington Prison Trade Training Program Boosts Employment Income Upon Release
- Fifth Circuit Calls Denial of Texas Prisoner’s In Forma Pauperis Request “Arbitrary or Erroneous”
- Florida Prisoner Whose Case Ended LWOP for Juveniles Released
- Missouri DOC Chief Held in Contempt of Court for Keeping Exonerated Prisoner Locked Up
- Texas Appeals Court Tosses Former Prisoner’s Illegal Voting Conviction
- Environmental Impact Statement Released for Controversial Proposed BOP Lockup in Kentucky
- Former Ohio Deputy Prison Warden Gets Probation for Overtime Fraud
- TDCJ Denied Summary Judgment In Suit by Prisoner Who Missed Grievance Deadline Because Guard’s Assault Left Him In a Coma
- DOJ Sues Utah DOC, Alleging Discrimination Against Transgender Prisoner
- First Circuit Affirms Qualified Immunity for Massachusetts Officials Who Held Prisoner in Solitary for Two Years Without Hearing, by Douglas Ankney
- German High Court Finds Low Prisoner Wages Unconstitutional
- Georgia Prison Education Program Shuttered
- “We Killed Him”: Alabama Jailers Cut Plea Deals After Detainee Freezes to Death
- Former Warden Added to Suit Over Brutal Killing of Disabled Virginia Prisoner, by Douglas Ankney
- New York City Mayor Blocks Solitary Confinement Ban After Council Overrides His Veto
- Former Detainee Sues “Disgusting” Atlanta Jail Where He Was Stabbed 13 Times
- Solitary Confinement Prompts Lawsuit in Massachusetts, Hunger Strike in Maine
- NaphCare Settles One Suit At Oregon Jail, Loses Motion to Dismiss Second
- Remedying Wrongs, by Kenneth Alyass
- Ohio Guard Drives Over Prisoner
- Competency Evaluation Ordered for Condemned Utah Prisoner, by David Reutter
- Former Prisoners Can Become President, But Other Job Options Are Limited
- Baton Rouge Cops Indicted for Violent In-Custody Strip-Search
- D.C. Jail Watchdog Uncovers Alarming Solitary Confinement Practices
- Multiple Abuse Allegations Against Texas Prison Guard Deemed “Unsubstantiated” by TDCJ
- Missouri Prisoner’s Excessive Force Claim Proceeds Against Guards After Court Excuses Missed Deadlines Under “Unavailable” Grievance Procedure, by David Reutter
- Pennsylvania Prisoner Smuggles Cellphones, Federal Prosecutor Breaches Plea Bargain
- $1.1 Million Settlement for Colorado Prisoner Stabbed by Gang Members For Testifying About Prison Murder, by David Reutter
- Second Circuit: New York Prisoner’s Prior Cases Not PLRA Strikes, by David Reutter
- BOP Cuts Ties With American Correctional Association
- Washington Parole Board Failed to Meaningfully Apply Presumption of Release for Prisoner Sentenced to LWOP as Juvenile
- Telecom Firms Shift Revenue Streams in Response to Prison Phone Reforms
- $700,000 Settlement in BOP Prisoner’s Death After Court Refuses to Extend Bivens, by David Reutter
- Watchdog Faults BOP for Averaging 43 Prisoner Deaths a Year—More Than 23 by Suicide, by David Reutter
- Mom of Murdered California Prisoner Defeats Motion to Dismiss Lawsuit by Guard Who Posted Pics of Corpse Online, by David Reutter
- Trial Rescheduled for Ohio Prisoner Accused of Murdering Fellow Prisoner
- Tenth Circuit Affirms Former Oklahoma Jail Captain’s 46-Month Sentence For Brutalizing Detainees, by David Reutter
- Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals Grants Credit to Prisoner’s LWOP Sentence, by Douglas Ankney
- Georgia Prison Warden Fired, Seven Guards Arrested in Prisoner’s Massive Drug Operation
- Montana Prison Warden Fired for Creating Hostile Workplace
- Washington Court of Appeals: PLRA Dismissal of Prisoner’s Federal Suit Is Not Res Judicata Barring State Tort Claims
- Texas Prisoner’s Lawsuit Seeks Relief from Heat in Un-Air-Conditioned Prisons, by David Reutter
- Oklahoma Lawmakers Sue for Pardon and Parole Board Texts After Condemned Prisoner Denied Clemency
- Georgia Jail Detainee Released After 10-Year Wait for Trial
- Chicago Jailers Publicly Call Detainee Death a Medical Emergency, Privately Admit Guard Brutality
- Regional Jail in Kentucky Settles DOJ Complaint, Agrees to Provide Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder, by Douglas Ankney
- DOJ Declares Conditions at Three More Mississippi Prisons Unconstitutional, by David Reutter
- Second Former BOP Guard Sentenced in Smuggling Scheme at Brooklyn Lockup
- Missouri Sheriff Removed from Office for Using Detainee Labor on His Own Properties, by David Reutter
- California Supreme Court Refuses Challenge to LWOP Sentence Imposed for Crime Committed After Age 18
- CoreCivic’s Successful Campaign for Mass Incarceration Continues in Tennessee
- Nevada Supreme Court Holds That Violating Jail Phone Policy Does Not Waive Attorney-Client Privilege, by Douglas Ankney
- Hometown Prison Examines Its Texas Neighbors
- Former D.C. Guard Gets 42-Month Sentence for Assaulting Handcuffed Prisoner, by Douglas Ankney
- $60,000 Settlement for Kansas Prisoner’s Excessive Force Claim, $578,000 for His Attorneys, by David Reutter
- California Prisoner Wins Challenge to Overbroad CDCR Records Request Made Prior to Resentencing
- Virginia Governor’s Veto Exposes Prisoners Who Took Plea Bargains to Civil Rights Violations, by Matthew Clarke
- Aryan Warriors Leader Among Three Killed in Nevada Prison Riot
- $3.4 Million Settlement for Nevada Prisoner After ‘Wait and See’ Medical Care Became ‘Deny and Delay’, by David Reutter
- $2,000 Statutory Award Boosts Ohio Prisoner’s Total Over $9,000 for Denied Public Records, by David Reutter
- Montana Supreme Court Requires Sentence Credit for Time Served in Tribal Jail
- News in Brief
- One of Eight Prisoners Now Released is a Woman, by David Reutter
More from these topics:
- Suit Filed Over Fatal Beating of New York Prisoner That Sparked Massive Guard Strike, Aug. 1, 2025. Guard Misconduct, Failure to Treat, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Restraints, Failure to Protect (Wrongful Death), Excessive Force (Wrongful Death).
- News in Brief, Aug. 1, 2025. Staff-Prisoner Assault, Private Prisons, Misconduct/Corruption, Guard Misconduct, Systemic Medical Neglect, Male Reproductive, Malpractice, Escapes, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Stun Guns/Tasers, Pepper Spray/Tear Gas, Restraints, Excessive Force (Wrongful Death), Juvenile Prisons, Bureau of Prisons (BOP), Bribery/Extortion/Theft.
- Ninth Circuit Agrees That Former Guantanamo Detainee Lacks Grounds to Sue for Waterboarding, Aug. 1, 2025. War on Terror, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Stun Guns/Tasers, Pepper Spray/Tear Gas, Restraints, Terrorism.
- $6.75 Million Settlement Reached in Suit Accusing Massachusetts Guards of Retaliatory Assaults on Prisoners, Aug. 1, 2025. Racial Discrimination, Retaliation, Guard Brutality/Beatings.
- Multiple Prisoner Suits Accuse Guards of Violence at Virginia BOP Lockup, Aug. 1, 2025. Racial Discrimination, False Charges (Disciplinary Hearings), Guard Brutality/Beatings, Restraints, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Discrimination (Transgender).
- SCOTUS Clamps Down on Bivens Extension to Prisoner Beaten by BOP Guards at Virginia Lockup, Aug. 1, 2025. Guard Brutality/Beatings, Restraints, Immunity - Absolute and Qualified, Bivens Actions.
- Former Oregon Prison Guard Sergeant Sentenced for Sexually Abusing Imprisoned Women, Aug. 1, 2025. Staff-Prisoner Assault, Failure to Protect (General), Guard Brutality/Beatings.
- $1.2 Million for New York Prisoner Waterboarded by Guards, Aug. 1, 2025. Staff-Prisoner Assault, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Exceptions.
- Third Circuit Upholds Award of $265,000 to Prisoner Who Was Sexually Assaulted Twice by the Same Guard, Aug. 1, 2025. Staff-Prisoner Assault, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Damages - Compensatory, Damages - Punitive.
- Delaware’s ACLU Files Action on Behalf Of Six Prisoners Assaulted During Midnight Raid, Aug. 1, 2025. Staff-Prisoner Assault, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Pepper Spray/Tear Gas, Restraints.