Suicide and fentanyl overdose just latest deaths at aging 201 Poplar
Jail deaths can depend on a variety of factors, said Lenard Vare, a former prison warden and jail administrator in Nevada and California. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian file)
Two recent deaths at the Shelby County Jail have again put a spotlight on conditions at the aging facility.
The deaths of 22-year-old Sherman Weakley and 41-year-old Justin Segerson just a day apart last week were at least the 55th and 56th deaths at the jail since 2019.
The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office said Weakley’s death appeared to be a suicide, the second in less than a year, and attributed Segerson’s death to a fentanyl overdose. At least three inmates have died from overdoses in the same time frame.
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Aarron Fleming
Aarron Fleming covers Memphis and Shelby County’s court system and is a member of The Daily Memphian’s public safety reporting team. He formerly covered education and earned his B.A. in journalism from the University of Memphis.
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