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County Settling Lawsuit For $300K With Family Of Cantonment Murder Suspect That Killed Himself In Jail
August 17, 2023
Escambia County is settling a lawsuit with the family of a Cantonment murder suspect that took his own life in the county jail.
Lukas MacKenzie Snelson, 24, was charged with second degree homicide, grand theft of a motor vehicle and resisting arrest for the death of his grandmother, 75-year old Fran Fournier.
On December 30, 2021, the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office responded to the end of Candy Lane in Cantonment for a death investigation. Fournier was found deceased, seated in a recliner with two dog leashes wrapped around her neck, according to an arrest report. Snelson was arrested hours later.
A few days after his arrest, Snelson was found hanging in his cell and later died at a local hospital.
The county will settle the lawsuit against the county and two corrections officers for $300,000. The full amount will be paid by the county’s insurance carrier, but the county will be responsible for a deductible of $86,241.17.
The lawsuit claimed Snelson was not provided proper mental health care and was not protected from self-harm.
“Escambia County and its corrections staff were deliberately indifferent to the medical needs and constitutional rights of Mr. Snelson who left behind a 2-year-old son at the time of his death,” the lawsuit stated.
“His death could have been prevented if Jail staff assisted him during the 40-minute period when the make-shift rope was tied around his neck, or if someone had changed the broken lights in his cell, used a flashlight during the visual checks, or actually confirmed that he was breathing during the visual checks,” the suit contended.
The county said, “the decedent attempted suicide, and his actions were not discovered by jail staff for a period of time during the attempt. The decedent ultimately passed away at a local hospital after being transported from the Jail.”
According to the settlement document, the “payment is not to be construed an an admission of any liability”.
Comments
40 Responses to “County Settling Lawsuit For $300K With Family Of Cantonment Murder Suspect That Killed Himself In Jail”
The correction officers not taxpayers are liable for this man’s suicide. If these officers failed to perform their jobs, and deliberately allowed or assisted this man to kill himself, this is criminal behavior, not negligence. I hope that the county attorney’s had the officers fired immediately and moved to be charged criminally. If these officers conspired with other county officials to do this, then all of them should be held liable. Let the family sue them for negligence. But the Taxpayers should not pay out a dime when the fault is not that of this government. No life insurance pays out for suicide. So why should our tax dollars go to the family of a man with known mental problems and accused of murdering his own grandmother because a couple of vigilante guards decided that his life is worthless? No, allowing him to kill himself in the county jail did not save our tax dollars. The insurance companies in this state are leaving because of this kind of fraud. Taxpayers can’t get them to pay out when there are actual accidents. We need to stop this kind of theft and illegal behavior by people in power.
@Mary
I completely agree. Families *should* be able to sue police in the event of a wrongful death, just like they can with doctors or caretakers when they are negligent.
Qualified Immunity has no place in a modern, healthy society.
This smacks of collusion between our corrections system and the family of this man. The e correction officers are liable, not the county. If the officers failed to perform their jobs, and deliberately allowed or assisted this man to kill himself, this is criminal behavior. All officers should be charged criminally. None on this watch should have a job still nor should they ever work in a corrections facility again. But the Taxpayers don’t pay out when the fault is not that of this government but the hired staffers. Where in America do taxpayers pay for a suicide? Way too many questionable moves for this to be legal. The insurance companies in this state are leaving because of this kind of fraud. We can’t get them to pay for real accidents. We need to stop this kind of theft.
@Stumpknocker
Sure. Corrections officer instead of police officer.
If a doctor was negligent and killed their patient by prescribing the wrong medication, I would want them to be held accountable.
If a teacher was negligent and one of their students died as a result, I would want them to be held accountable.
I’m not sure where you get the idea that “I want law enforcement to be held to the same standards as doctors and teachers” means I have an “axe to grind with law enforcement”.
Any idea how long it takes to kill your grandmother with a dog leash? It takes a bit. So when I think about the pain and suffering and the fear she must have went through I say hanging him self was quite fitting.
Tragic all the way around. But since part of the lawsuit specifically stated his leaving behind a two year old son, which I’m guessing was to pull on heartstrings, should we assume the money will be put into a trust to help care for said child? That would be the only way I could see any good coming from any of this, if that’s even possible.
I would be interested to see how much money his family had spent on him to receive mental health care prior to him killing his grandmother. I would be willing to bet zero.
You know it’s obvious that nobody is saying that his actions were OK. The family is completely torn about how to mourn somebody. They love so much but also somebody that’s hurt them so badly.
Also, all of you guys are basically saying that it’s OK for somebody to kill themselves in a jail cell and hang there for 40 minutes while multiple officers walked past him with flashlights, and straight up, looked at him and let him hang there and y’all are saying that’s OK. You guys are not understanding what this lawsuit is about. the lawsuit is about the negligence that happens in the jail people that work that day they should be fired and they were fired and the county settled so y’all need to understand that obviously the county is at fault because otherwise they would’ve never settle for anything.
So simple to understand but so hard for y’all to comprehend. Ridiculous
@Bob, so where did you get the idea that police failed to protect him, he wasn’t in police custody. He was incarcerated which means he was in the care of a corrections officer, who are not he police. They have no arrest powers nor do they enforce any laws. I read plenty of your past comments and you always seem to have an ax to grind with law enforcement, and have always been quick to assume, giving your words less and less value each time. Like I said his family failed him. Your always talking innocent until proven guilty, however I bet if you seen a law enforcement officer video of possible wrong doing, you’d be the first to want to fire them, without knowing all the facts. I’m a firm believer that we are not to be dependent on any part of government, by doing this you give them less control and say.
Bob, what fantasy world do you live in?
I agree with M in Bratt. And Shelia hubbird.
3 crimes: murder, suicide, extortion. They could make a movie out of this.
@Bob
Protection is found more easily by those who wish to be protected, and sympathy is found more easily for those who receive an outcome other than their desire.
@Olin Schultz
Let’s say your family member went to the hospital. The doctor who was caring for them was negligent, gave them the wrong medication, and they died. Do you believe that doctor should be held accountable for their mistake?
Let’s say that your kid was at school. Their teacher was negligent, and your child ended up severely hurting themselves as a result. Do you believe the teacher should be held accountable for their mistakes?
If so, then why shouldn’t the police be held accountable for their mistake when a suspect was remanded into their care, but ended up dying due to the officers’ negligence?
I truly believe “incent until proven …”
I can see that if Standing in his place, his life would be over as it was seen.
Tragically putting an end to innocent or guilty
My heart is torn for the pain this family is now under.
The question still seems there: why would no one make certain he was OK or able to move forward to a trail. Family in my view has every right to know as well as be awarded for why there was no one there for his safety.
Blaming the Jail is just wrong. Don’t do the crime! No one is at fault but the deceased. The Sheriff’s office had to of had enough evidence to lock him up. Sounds pretty cut and dry. That said, My career was spent at that jail and some people that are incarcerated spend their time trying to find ways to do bad things and officers spend their time trying to stop them. Mental health is nothing to kid about but sometimes the ones that need the help slip through the cracks for various reasons. As far as his family being compensated for his death is wrong!
Attorney was Ryan Cardoso of Pensacola. Reach out to him to discuss this case if you’d like.
@George
No disagreement from me.
Sadly, there are plenty of people in these comments excusing his death because they are presuming that he was guilty without hearing a shred of evidence or testimony. This guy is never going to have the opportunity to defend (or vindicate) himself because the people who were charged with ensuring his well-being were negligent.
This says a lot about what type of family he came from. WOW!!! This is just pitiful of them to want to make money off of this and I bet they never o ve cried for the death that this fella caused. All it seems they were interested in is a “payment”…just shaking my head over this and at them!!!!!
The money will be gone on two years. Shopping to relieve grief will never work. Do attorneys have a conscience, ever?
Bob, you are not innocent until proven guilty. If you committed the crime then you are guilty, period. But in a court of law you are given the PRESUMPTION OF INNOCENCE until proven guilty. That is a big difference. Many people make this mistake.
@Stumpknocker
Police have an obligation to protect the people in their custody. They failed to uphold that responsibility.
I do agree that it’s unfortunate that taxpayers are having to shell out every time the police mess up. Maybe if we started taking these settlements out of their pension or ended qualified immunity, that would provide an incentive for the department to actually reform?
This is a sic government. An attorney will make over $100,000 of this suite over a murderer thats dead.
Yes,$300k is cheaper than housing for 25 years.
@Bob, lol failed , no his family failed him along time ago. He didn’t get those mental problems if any when he walked in the jail, he brought them with him. Now the family who failed him and the grandmother get paid. He left that two year old child along time ago.
All events were unfortunate, but don’t forget….the attorney for the family will get about half of the settlement!
To bad the family didn’t care about him enough to get him help before he killed grandma…Now taxpayers will pay for the familys own neglect.
How in this world is the county any way responsible for a murderer committing suicide? It would be impossible to provide a chaperone for every prisoner in the jail. The county should have taken their chances on a jury, and let this one go to trial.
He murdered his own family then off’d himself and we have to pay for that???? Dude wasnt even worth $300k…. What a joke…
He was *accused* of murder. He hasn’t been convicted. Innocent until proven guilty, right?
It sounds like the jail messed up, and a) failed to provide proper medical care to someone with mental health problems, b) provided him with the tools needed to take his own life, and c) failed to properly monitor him.
Ask yourself: if someone in your family was accused of a crime (not convicted), was remanded to the care of the local jail, and the jail was negligent, resulting in your family member’s death, how would you feel?
THE JAIL MEESED UP NOW THE TAXPATERS LOSE AGAIN
That’s the legal system for you….. When something like this happens, lawyers line up for a chance to shake the money tree…. If ol boy hadn’t been a criminal he wouldn’t have been in custody from the get go.
I hope his 2 year old child will be the beneficiary of these funds.
Shame on this family. Why didn’t the family do something Before he killed her? Sad all the way around. To benefit and point the fault finger at the county……please. Sometimes you do all you can, and it just doesn’t work. Mental illness is sad in itself and for the most part, treatment has to be ongoing. I don’t think this money will heal anything or bring anyone back. I wouldn’t want any part of this money. He caused this situation, he killed his grandma…..he killed himself. Responsibility lies on him!
His family don’t deserve a DIME. It’s crazy people get to pursue these lawsuits and win, mental health consoling? Really?? For a murderer? How could someone murder their GRANDMOTHER with a dog leash? I’m sure there was signs he needed help WAY before this tragedy, and I bet the family receiving this money didn’t give a crap then. Accountability is always displaced nowadays.
This is totally wrong for Fran’s family to “make money” from this tragedy! I don’t know how they will ever be able to lay their heads on a pillow at night and truly have peace about this. Just totally wrong!
Cheaper than housing him for ever.
Seeing how the rest of the family is only makes me feel worse for what the Grandmother must have been living with.
Disgusting to make money off of this situation! He apparently was disgraced by killing his own Grandmother, now the family makes money off of it! I would be ashamed!! Greed at its best.
This is just wrong,
Why should a family benefit from a murder..
If he was mentally competent, then ge is the only one responsible for the actions he choose.
This is unfortunate, all the way around, but much cheaper than keeping him incarcerated for 25 years.
His family shouldn’t be able to live off this type of money after killing his grandmother. He should’ve been burned alive instead of killing himself! He had plenty sense!