Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SALT LAKE COUNTY -- Details of a settlement between Salt Lake County and the family of a man who starved to death in the Salt Lake County jail are being made public.
The family of Carlos Umana will receive $144,000 from the county, according to Salt Lake County Attorney Sim Gill. The money will settle a federal lawsuit filed by Umana's family after he died of starvation and dehydration while being held in the Salt Lake County jail.
"This settlement is not an admission of guilt," Gill said Monday. "It's not an admission of any wrong doing on anyone's part. It's a very complex issue."
Umana was booked on Oct. 27 for attempted murder. He had been arrested after he allegedly stabbed his mother's boyfriend in the back with a small knife as the man was making a meal. According to jail records, Umana told police he thought the boyfriend was trying to poison him.
At the time he was booked, Umana weighed approximately 175 pounds. When he died behind bars four months later, he weighed approximately 77 pounds.
"I don't have the exact numbers, but it is fair to say that he came in at a much heavier weight," Gill said.
I don't have the exact numbers, but it is fair to say that he came in at a much heavier weight.
–Sim Gill
A medical examiner reported that Umana's death was the result of starvation and dehydration, with mental illness also a contributing factor. Since his death, the County Attorney's Office has been working with the Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office on their force-feeding policy.
"Sheriff Jim Winder has been committed to reviewing the jail's policy. He is looking at how this could happen. He's committed to making sure that if something like this comes up again, it is addressed," said Gill. "We've really talked about being proactive."
When asked if any of the guards responsible for Umana during his time in the jail could face criminal charges, Gill responded with a no. "Certainly if there was any criminal wrong-doing, we would look at it, but there has been none that we're aware of," Gill said.
As for the amount of the settlement, Gill says it is reasonable. "It protects the county from any further litigation."
Email: spark@ksl.com
