2 autopsies for Black man found hanging in Alabama produce differing conclusions

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — A state autopsy has ruled that a Black man found hanging in an abandoned Alabama home in late September died by suicide — a conclusion that contradicts a private autopsy commissioned by his family, which found no definitive evidence he died by suicide.

Dennoriss Richardson’s body was discovered in September in rural Colbert County, far from his home in Sheffield, Alabama, a small town of nearly 10,000 nestled along the Tennessee River.

A state autopsy released to law enforcement in late December ruled the 39-year-old’s death a suicide, Colbert County Sheriff Eric Balentine told AL.com.

Despite the state’s official findings, the case has sparked intense suspicion and outcry in a community with a long history of racial injustice and a deep-seated distrust of local law enforcement.

Balentine called for an FBI investigation into Richardson’s death in October. Richardson was one of numerous Black men who had recently filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against local law enforcement alleging a pattern of abuse.

https://apnews.com/article/dennoriss-richardson-hanging-death-alabama-sheffield-d32f93ad4b76a9006b7558284b1655aa