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HomeMy WebLinkAbout04_0 SA 20-027 Supplemental Jail Scene_Melnyk_.REDACTED.TBR SA 20-027 Investigator: D. Melnyk #251 Approved By: Date of Report: 11/18/2020 Date: 11/19/2020 Page 1 of 4 CASE NAME: CLASSIFICATION: CUSTODIAL RELATED DEATH TYPE: INITIAL RESPONSE – SCENE AGENCY: SANTA ANA POLICE DEPARTMENT On Wednesday, November 4, 2020, at approximately 0256 hours, Orange County District Attorney (OCDA) Supervising Investigator STAN BERRY contacted me regarding a custodial related death involving the Santa Ana Police Department (SAPD). BERRY requested I respond to the SAPD to assist OCDA Supervising Investigator BRAD TANNER with the investigation. At approximately 0405 hours, I arrived at the location and met with investigators from the OCDA, SAPD and Orange County Crime Lab (OCCL) who were present to assist in the investigation. At approximately 0547 hours, SAPD Sergeant JASON GARCIA provided a briefing of the known circumstances surrounding the death of inmate After the briefing, TANNER requested SAPD Detective MATT LEMMON and I supervise the processing of the scene by Orange County Crime Lab (OCCL) personnel at the Santa Ana Correctional Facility, Module 3, Section D and Cell D24. The following personnel from OCCL completed the processing of the scene under OCCL FR#20-53528: • BRETT DORETTI Forensic Specialist Photography • JENNIFER JARRETT Forensic Scientist Evidence Collection ORANGE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY’S OFFICE BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION SUPPLEMENTAL REPORT SA 20-027 Investigator: D. Melnyk #251 Approved By: Date of Report: 11/18/2020 Date: 11/19/2020 Page 2 of 4 At approximately 0610 hours, OCCL personnel began processing the scene, which included diagraming, photography, and the collection of evidence. SCENE DESCRIPTION The scene was located in Cell D24. It was a two (2)-person cell with two (2) bunks. was a United States Bureau of Prisons (BOP) inmate the only occupant. The cell was on the south side of Section D. The cell faced out onto the second story tier with a protective rail. body was not present. There were two (2) showers east of the cell and no cells facing or adjacent to Cell D24. The cell was located near the top of the staircase. There was a wooden door with a vertical window and D24 painted on the door. The hinges were on the west side of the door with a key and electronic lock in the wall east of the door handle, and a speaker vent in the door. A night light switch was located on the wall west of the door and below a placard with “D24.” A light switch on the north interior wall west of the door activated the fluorescent light on the ceiling next to a smoke detector. SCENE EXAMINATION The upper bunk was attached to the west and south walls with the head of the bunk against the south wall near a frosted vertical window. There was a gap between the upper bunk and the west wall. Two (2) loops of cloth were tied around the upper bunk with the knots elevated above the lower bunk. The northern loop was the suspected ligature and consisted of a blanket tied to a bedsheet, which extended below the knot onto the lower bunk in an untied loop. The southern loop was a tied bedsheet and had suspected blood on the knot. There were SA 20-027 Investigator: D. Melnyk #251 Approved By: Date of Report: 11/18/2020 Date: 11/19/2020 Page 3 of 4 two (2) folded brown blankets in the southwest corner of the upper bunk. JARRETT cut both loops in a manner to preserve the knots. There was a mattress on the lower bunk with the head rolled to the north near the south wall of the cell. There was a damp pink towel in the center of the mattress and jail underwear next to white towels at the northwest side of the bunk and a sugar packet on the mattress. There were two (2) storage cubbyholes under the lower bunk with miscellaneous personal items and books. There was a sink with a metal mirror attached to the west wall near the near the north wall. The toilet was south of the sink attached to the west wall with a small shelf built into the wall with miscellaneous toiletries. There was a torn strip of paper with black ink markings floating in the toilet water. There was a metal table with a metal shelf above attached to the east wall. There were books, photographs of females, papers with names and telephone numbers on the table. An envelope was addressed to “ with “Smile” and “Open ASAP” on the front of the envelope. A piece of paper with address and telephone numbers: was located on the desk. DORETTI photographed the papers and photographs. There was a white dish on the shelf, which contained eyeglasses, trash and a tied plastic baggie containing white paper and a brown substance with an appearance similar to tar heroin. There was a grey plastic chair under the table. A left black rubber clog sandal was on the floor under the chair. The right sandal was on the floor near the middle of the lower bunk. There SA 20-027 Investigator: D. Melnyk #251 Approved By: Date of Report: 11/18/2020 Date: 11/19/2020 Page 4 of 4 were two orange sandals on the floor near the foot of the lower bunk and the west wall under a plastic bag. There was an empty trashcan on the floor near the northwest corner of the cell with a tied plastic bag that contained trash outside of the trashcan. Two (2) hanger racks were located on a small angled wall, which was between the east, and south walls. Each rack had four (4) hooks, held jail clothing, and laundry bags. EVIDENCE COLLECTION DORETTI took forty-six (46) photographs of the scene. JARRETT collected the following items of evidence: • Possible ligature blanket with sheet tied in. • Tied sheet with apparent blood. • Plastic bag with possible heroin.