The wife of a 72-year-old veteran who was beaten to death by a cellmate in an Alabama jail filed a civil rights lawsuit Wednesday against three deputies working at the jail, alleging that the officers ignored his pleas for help. Attorneys for the wife of John Reed say the deputies working at the Macon County jail that morning in October were made aware of the assault but ignored his cries and need for medical attention. Reed required a wheelchair and 24-hour oxygen for a lung disease.
The three deputies named as defendants entered the holding cell where Reed was injured and neglected to separate him from the cellmate during the attack, according to the lawsuit. “This is one of the worst cases of prison neglect that I’ve seen,” said civil rights attorney Bakari Sellers, who is representing Reed's wife, Regene Brantley-Reed.
Court records did not list attorneys representing the three deputies on Wednesday. The Macon County sheriff did not respond to a phone call seeking comment. Reed's cellmate, Daniel Pollard, 24, has been charged with murder in Reed’s death. His attorney, Jennifer Tompkins, said he has severe mental health issues.
“In 17 years of criminal law, this is probably one of the worst cases I’ve ever had in the sense of mental health,” Tompkins said. Pollard pleaded guilty to attempted murder and burglary in 2022 and was sentenced to a 20-year split sentence, with five to be served in jail or prison, according to his arrest records. He was released on probation in May 2024, according to a spokesperson from the Alabama Department of Corrections.
