Jury awards father $95 million in 2012 inmate death

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — A jury has awarded $95 million to the father of a man who was beaten to death at the Erie County Holding Center in 2012, the inmate’s attorney confirmed to News 4 on Monday.

The money was awarded to the family of Richard Metcalf, who was strangled and severely beaten by officers while being held.

Metcalf was initially arrested in 2012 in Depew after he allegedly broke into a catering business that he worked at.

Following his arraignment, a state report in 2016 indicated that officers placed a “spit mask” on him and after he chewed through it, a pillowcase was tied loosely over his head. The report states that the mask was so tight that it required scissors to remove but by the time it was cut off, he had stopped breathing and his heart had stopped. He died two days later. According to the report, he was also beaten by deputies while in custody.

The county medical examiner ruled Metcalf’s death a homicide as a result of acute and subacute myocardial infarction, meaning he died of a heart attack caused by an outside force.

In a 2013 lawsuit, the county and five deputies were accused of depriving Metcalf of medical care as well as excessive force.

“This verdict stems from an event that occurred 12 years ago. Since Sheriff Garcia took office in 2022, the Erie County Sheriff’s Office has become a far different organization,” a spokesperson for the Sheriff’s Office said in a statement. “This administration has been proactive in seeking state and federal accreditations for all divisions in a robust effort to employ stringent practices for the safety and care of our personnel and our incarcerated population. These accreditations can only be earned after a thorough review of policies and procedures by a third party to ensure the best are implemented. Additionally, consistent with Sheriff Garcia’s promise to the people of Erie County, the office has aggressively sought funding to modernize every aspect of the operation. We will continue to do so.”

Aidan Joly joined the News 4 staff in 2022. He is a graduate of Canisius College. You can see more of his work here .