An inmate who filed a lawsuit against a prison for 'torturing' him has been found dead in his cell.
John Basco, 48, sued the prison for a particularly disturbing incident that took place in 2019.
The 48-year-old was found dead on Sunday morning (11 September) according to an official statement released by the Oklahoma County Detention Center.
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The statement read: "OKLAHOMA CITY (September 11, 2022) – At approximately 3:52 Sunday morning, a detention officer performing site checks discovered detainee John Basco unresponsive in his cell."
It continued: "The detention officer called for medical and other officers to respond, and they immediately began life saving efforts. Emergency responders arrived and continued resuscitation efforts.
"Basco was pronounced deceased at approximately 4:06 a.m," the release stated.
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It concluded: "The State Medical Examiner’s Office will make a final determination as to the cause of death. The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigations has also been notified and will assist in the investigation."
Basco's death follows a lawsuit he and three other inmates filed against the detention centre in 2019, in which he accused prison employees of torturing him and other inmates by forcing them to listen to a loop of the popular children's cartoon song 'Baby Shark' for hours.
The lawsuit dubbed the ordeal as 'torture events'.
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The accused detention officers were Gregory Cornell Butler Jr. and Christian Charles Miles – both of which were fired by then-Sheriff P.D. Taylor following an official investigation into the matter confirming Basco's allegations.
The pair, alongside Former Lieutenant Christopher Raymond Hendershott, were charged with misdemeanour counts of cruelty to a prisoner and conspiracy.
Basco's attorney, Cameron Spradling spoke to The Oklahoman about the incident, revealing that he was 'really bothered' by the circumstances surrounding his client's death.
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"I'm really bothered by this," the attorney said, "One of the 'Baby Shark' victims is conveniently dead within three days of his arrival at the jail. How does that happen?"
He added: "District Attorney David Prater just lost one of his witnesses for the upcoming criminal trial. For me, this one does not pass the smell test."
Taking to Twitter, Spradling dubbed the Oklahoma County Jail 'the worst jail in the world'.
He posted: "I mourn the loss of my client John Basco, a Baby Shark Torture Victim, who died today in the custody of the Oklahoma County Jail. The worst jail in the world! Mysterious death #14 for 2022!"
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The next hearing for the case is reported to take place next Thursday (22 September), the Oklahoman reports.
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Rhiannon Ingle