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An Oklahoma inmate who alleged he was "tortured" by corrections officers and forced to listen to "Baby Shark" for hours on end was found dead in his cell, per Newsweek.
According to a press release, 48-year-old John Basco was found unresponsive on Sunday (September 11) in his Oklahoma County Detention Center cell, marking the 14th inmate death at the jail this year, The Oklahoman reports.
Basco was one of four inmates who previously accused former detention officers Gregory Cornell Butler Jr. and Christian Charles Miles in 2019 of forcing them to listen to "Baby Shark" on repeat for hours in multiple instances as they stood against a wall in handcuffs.
The four inmates sued Oklahoma County commissioners, Sheriff Tommie Johnson III, the jail trust, and two former jailers following what their lawyers described as "torture events."
According to reports, a 2020 investigation into the series of incidents found the detainees' claims to be true.
Though the case is reportedly still ongoing, Butler Jr. and Miles were terminated and charged with misdemeanor counts of cruelty to a prisoner and conspiracy after the investigation.
Basco's attorney, Cameron Spradling, said he found the inmate's death "disturbing" and has called for a separate probe into his cause of death, which remains unclear.
"There is a criminal case and a federal civil rights case pending against three former detention officers including a longtime lieutenant," Spradling told Newsweek.
"One of the Baby Shark torture victims is conveniently dead within three days of his arrival," he continued. "District Attorney David Prater lost his most important witness for the upcoming criminal trial. The D.A. needs to immediately send in his own investigators to find out why this victim/witness died under these mysterious circumstances."
Mark Opgrande, director of communications for the jail, told The Oklahoman that drug overdose is being investigated as a possible cause of death for Basco, who was booked last week over a drug trafficking complaint.
"The State Medical Examiner's Office will determine the cause of death and the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigations is assisting in the investigation, but we can confirm there were no obvious signs of foul play," Opgrande said, per Newsweek.
"Additionally, we would like to note Mr. Basco's lawsuit was against the previous jail administration, not against the Oklahoma Country Criminal Justice Authority or the current leadership," he added. "We remain committed to providing the safest environment possible for detainees and staff."
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