No Charges In Mount Vernon Jail Death: Attorney General

Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said he won't prosecute any Mount Vernon police officers for the July death of Raynette Turner. But that doesn't mean they didn't do anything wrong.

Police arrested Turner on a Saturday for shoplifting crab legs. But court was closed on Sunday and she was held for arraignment until Monday. She got sick and died while behind bars.

“There is really no good reason why someone arrested for shoplifting has to wait 48 hours in jail before being arraigned,” Schneiderman said Thursday, announcing the findings of his office’s review.

In a press conference to announce the findings, Executive Deputy Attorney General Alvin Bragg said there was no legal basis for charging individual officers with criminally negligent homicide. Prosecutors must show the officers acted recklessly in order to prove such a charge. Interviews and records show officers took Turner to the hospital when she complained of feeling ill and did periodically check on her cell, Bragg said.

This was the Attorney General Office's first investigation after Gov. Andrew Cuomo named him special prosecutor to investigate law enforcement deaths involving unarmed civilians. Unlike grand jury investigations, which are shrouded in secrecy, Schneiderman released the autopsy report, surveillance video and a report on his office’s investigation to explain the decision.

He's also proposing statewide changes, including recommendations to speed up arraignment and make officers check cells more frequently.

The Mount Vernon Police Department and an attorney for the Turner family did not immediately respond to a request for comment.