Lonnie Rupard

Lonnie Rupard had a history of schizophrenia and was "dependent on others for his wellbeing," according to the lawsuit filed by his family. He was arrested on a parole violation and booked into the San Diego Central Jail, where he refused to take medications for a month. A psychiatrist who met with him reported that he rambled incoherently but did not require immediate psychiatric intervention, according to the lawsuit. A few weeks later, a court-appointed psychiatrist determined that he was not competent to stand trial and recommended that he be referred to a state hospital and be given antipsychotic medication involuntarily, neither of which occurred, according to the lawsuit. A few days later, Rupard was found dead. An autopsy found that he weighed 105 lbs; since he was arrested, he had lost 60 pounds — more than a third of his body weight. The Deputy Medical Examiner concluded: “Records document that care was made available to the decedent in the form of meals, continuous in-cell water supply, prescription medications to treat his psychiatric illness, and medical evaluations; nevertheless, the ineffective delivery of that care ended with his death. While elements of self-neglect were present, ultimately this decedent was dependent upon others for his care; therefore, the manner of death is classified as homicide."

Family filed wrongful death lawsuit; attorney Jeremiah Lowe. Suing on the basis of wrongful death, dependent adult neglect, Fourteenth Amendment violations, failure to summon medical care and negligence.

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