An inmate whose temperature reached 42C "baked" to death in a cell that was "hotter than three hells."
Thomas Lee Rutledge, 44, was found dead on December 7, 2020 at the William E. Donaldson Correctional Facility mental heath ward in Bessemer, Alabama after temperatures in the room reached between 101 (38C) and 104 (40C) degrees, according to a coroner's report.
Inmates had previously expressed their concern of the extreme temperatures in the cells but were ignored and told to stay in their rooms "around the clock, including for eating and bathing."
