Family demands change at DeKalb Co. Jail after inmate’s death

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — High-profile civil rights attorney Ben Crump is now representing the family of a U.S. Army veteran who died in the DeKalb County Jail.

Christon Collins died under suspicious circumstances back on March 13.

Jail officials gave his mother Jonia Milburn a toxicology report that said her 27-year-old son had several drugs in his system, including fentanyl.

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His mother didn’t believe it and had Emory Hospital perform an independent autopsy.

The results showed no drugs in his system.

That’s when the mother obtained surveillance video from the jail that showed her son having some sort of episode.

It also showed that no jail officers helped him for nearly four hours.

The family hired Ben Crump’s team because they believe jail officials are hiding something.

“How can you be integral when you have so many inconsistencies? Can you imagine how many mothers who are grieving just like Ms. Milburn and in their grief gave up? We’re grateful she didn’t give up,” attorney Chace Lynch said.

Channel 2′s Tyisha Fernandes asked Milburn what she would say to her son now.

She said, “I would tell him I love him and that I know that he was fighting and that I know he wanted to live - and I’m sorry nobody was there to help him.”

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“She wanted them to help her son, not to let him die, not to cover it up, so DeKalb County do the right thing because she’s not going to quit and neither are we,” Crump said.

“Crump all around the nation, this is systemic! Right here in Georgia whether it’s DeKalb County, whether it’s Clayton County or whether it’s the notorious Fulton County where we’re waiting on the Department of Justice report a year later - so we can see the internals of what’s going on in these jails,” civil rights activist Marcus Coleman said.

Sheriff Melody Maddox said she can’t comment, because of possible future litigation.

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