Not long after the Maricopa County Medical Examiner's Office decided Marty Atencio -- the Army vet who died in Sheriff Joe Arpaio's Fourth Avenue Jail in December -- died from "law enforcement subdual" and other causes, MCSO has another dead inmate.
The Feathered Bastard has the information on Raymond Farinas, whose mother says she was told by MCSO that her son choked to death on a peanut butter sandwich.
MCSO later released a statement on Farinas' death, which didn't include anything about choking on sandwiches.
"According to the Sheriff's Jail Crimes Unit, there appeared to be no visible signs of any kind of trauma to Farinas," the statement says. "And while the inmate's family members are making various claims to the media, those claims are in direct contradiction with the medical examiner's office who has relayed to Sheriff's officials that it appears Farina, a 40 year repeat offender, died of natural causes."
Considering what happened with Atencio, and the several stories inmates recently relayed to Paul Rubin about violence at the Durango Jail, it's not hard to believe that just about any inmate death at Arpaio's jails is going to arouse suspicion.
And although MCSO says it "appears" Farina died from natural causes, that doesn't seem to be confirmed, as the Sheriff's Office is already trying to fend off any accusations of brutality leading to his death.
"While an official cause of the June 3, 2012 death of Raymond Manuel Farinas has yet to be released, an investigation shows that there was no physical injury by another inmate or detention officer during the 11 hours Farinas was in custody on weapons charges," the Sheriff's Office statement says.
Based on what Farinas' mother told KPHO, and what Farinas' girlfriend told the Associated Press, their stories aren't exactly matching up with MCSO's.
Are you buying MCSO's explanation for Farinas' death?
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