Letter to Memphis CIT, by Mary Neal

[5/26/08 Note:  Larry Neal's family received no response to the below letter, nor did they expect a response.  If there was some acceptable explanation for Larry's secret arrest and death in Shelby County Jail, Memphis, Tennessee, the family believes such explanation would have been given by authorities there YEARS AGO!  Larry's family is reportedly satisfied that The Cochran Firm, which Larry's family alleges was fraudulently pretending to act as their  wrongful death attorneys while actually working FOR their defendants, effectively substituted itself for any and all other parties to Larry Neal's secret arrest and wrongful death.  Larry's family alleges that The Cochran Firm became substitute by placing itself between Larry's family and their intended defendants in their original wrongful death and negligence lawsuits (which the family counted on that law firm to file in 2003), much like the Lord Jesus saw fit to substitute Himself on the cross for the sins of the world.  For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.  Romans 5:10.] 
 

March 24, 2008

Randolph T. Dupont, PhD
University of Memphis
School of Urban Affairs and Public Policy
Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice
Memphis, TN 38152-3330

Re:  Secret Arrest and Wrongful Death of Mentally Ill Heart Patient, Larry Neal and Subsequent Cover-up

I have read with interest how police departments all over the country are modeling their police departments after the Memphis CIT model.  I suppose it may be partly to protect this image that my family is the only American family in the 21st Century to have a member secretly arrested and returned to his family as a corpse with no explanation, apology, excuse, arrest records, inquest, or investigation.  At least, I certainly hope this is an uncommon tragedy and denial of due process of law.  http://cit.memphis.edu/CITInTheNews.htm 

See http://wrongfuldeathoflarryneal.com 

The Memphis CIT has never explained how Larry Neal, a life-long mentally ill heart patient, could be secretly arrested in mid-July 2003, incarcerated for 18 days while his family and social worker looked for him as a missing person while Shelby County Jail repeatedly and falsely denied having him incarcerated, until he died of a fatal heart attack. 

The Memphis CIT has never explained why The (Johnny) Cochran Firm, which was managed by Julian Bolton, Esq., 20+year Shelby County Commissioner and past Chairman, would then contract with my family to act as our wrongful death attorneys against Shelby County Jail, withholding from my family information about Bolton's position with our intended defendant, the jail where Larry died.

The Memphis CIT has never explained why Shelby County Jail neglected to send the Department of Justice an inmate fatality  report regarding Larry Neal's death, when the jail was already under suit by the USA for previous violations of inmates' civil rights, and was required to send such inmate fatality reports under the terms of its Agreement with the USA.

Larry's family believes that his death was actually a euthanasia followed by an elaborate cover-up between The Cochran Firm and others to keep his wrongful death case out of court.  Interested parties have also managed to keep his death and his family's quest for justice out of mainstream media, which likely would have led to investigation and closure for his family. 

For years, I have written to Shelby County Government officials, the U.S. Justice Department, Tennessee representatives, including the governor, United States Senators and Congressmen, mental health organizations, civil rights organizations, and civic leaders about Larry's death, the denial of any investigation and accountability.  No one has come forward with any investigation or reports to date -- over four years after Larry's death.  At this point, the shroud of secrecy seems impenetrable to the point that Larry's family would be skeptical of any reports that ensued from an investigation. 

We have sued The Cochran Firm twice to recover damages for tricking my family while under contract as Larry's wrongful death attorneys (secret conflict of interest, fraud, malpractice), and we are hopeful of getting answers during discovery of our present suit in USDC, Northern District of Gerogia.  On our first attempt to sue The Cochran Firm, we served the suit to the firm's advertised Atlanta office, the law office that conducted our initial client intake interview the day Larry died.  Strangely, this law office which was widely advertised as The Cochran Firm's Atlanta office on television, MARTA, Internet, Bell phone books, etc., had our suit dismissed in May 2006 by claiming it is no part of The Cochran Firm.  Larry's family certainly hopes that nothing so fantastic will happen in our pending USDC case against this law firm. 
 
CIT is a good idea, and I hope it benefits mentally ill citizens in the Memphis area and around the country.  However, when there is a failure in the system, as evidenced by Larry Neal's secret incarceration and wrongful death, that failure should not be covered up at the expense of justice.

Sincerely
Mary Neal
Assistance to the Incarcerated Mentally Ill
Website:  http://wrongfuldeathoflarryneal.com
P.O. Box 7222
Atlanta, GA  30357