BATON ROUGE, La. –
The Louisiana Department of Corrections (DOC) announced today the death of a 69-year old inmate with underlying medical conditions compounded by a positive COVID-19 diagnosis. The inmate was imprisoned at Louisiana State Penitentiary. He had been hospitalized in Baton Rouge, Louisiana since April 15, 2020, and was pronounced deceased on April 18, 2020. He conferred with the doctor at the hospital and requested and agreed to a do not resuscitate order. His family has been notified of his death.
The individual was serving a life sentence for first degree murder, and had been imprisoned at Louisiana State Penitentiary since January of 1978. For the privacy of his family and due to confidentiality laws, the DOC is not releasing the inmate’s name nor his medical conditions.
The Louisiana DOC is working closely with the Louisiana Department of Health and is committed to following the proposed guidance from the CDC on Correctional and Detention Facilities.
“The entire Department is focused on minimizing the potential impact of this disease on our correctional system. We understand that this is a very trying time for everyone in Louisiana including our employees, prison population and their loved ones. We are making every effort to ensure that inmates in our state prisons are informed and able to remain connected to their loved ones throughout this time.” – Secretary LeBlanc.
Numbers regarding confirmed COVID-19 positive tests results within the state-run prisons will be updated at 11 am on a daily basis.
Stay informed on decisions affecting the state's prisons by visiting the Department's website at
doc.la.gov
.
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