Inquest jury rules that Contra Costa jail inmate died by suicide

A Contra Costa County coroner’s inquest jury has rule that a man who was in custody at the Martinez Detention Facility last summer died by suicide.

The man, identified as 54-year-old Kent Hickey, died in the facility on July 26. The inquest jury determined the death was a suicide after hearing testimonies from multiple witnesses, according to a news release from the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office.

Hickey was arrested the day before his death at about 10:32 p.m. on a felony bench warrant for being a felon in possession of a firearm, methamphetamine for sale, and a controlled substance for sale, the sheriff’s office said in a July news release. The bench warrant came with a $50,000 bail and a mandatory court appearance.

Hickey was assigned a room of his own at the Martinez Detention Facility at 3:49 p.m. on July 26, the sheriff’s office said. A deputy sheriff checked his room at 4:03 p.m. and again at 4:25 p.m. During the second check, the deputy discovered Hickey hanging from a bedsheet. The deputy called for help and jail medical staff attempted to perform life-saving interventions, but were unable to resuscitate Hickey. Hickey was later pronounced dead at the scene.

The most recently reported deaths in the system before Hickey’s death came in late 2020 and included a suicide, a fentanyl overdose and a death on the operating table during a procedure to mend a broken jaw.

A lawsuit filed in 2021 claimed that jail medical staff ignored the statements of a woman who tearfully told a nurse during an intake interview that she was having suicidal thoughts and was thinking of a plan to carry them out. The woman was found dead in her cell hours later.

All in-custody deaths in Contra Costa County are investigated by the District Attorney’s Office in compliance with county protocol, and all of those investigations end with a coroner’s inquest hearing. At the hearings, law enforcement personnel are asked to testify and jurors determine the manner of an inmate’s death by choosing one of four options — suicide, homicide, accident or by natural causes.

If you or someone you know is struggling with feelings of depression or suicidal thoughts, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline offers free, round-the-clock support, information and resources for help. Reach the lifeline at 988 or 800-273-8255, or see the 988lifeline.org website.