The family of a 22-year-old woman gathered outside the San Francisco Women’s Prison to demand justice for her after she was found dead in her cell earlier this month.
According to the sheriff’s office, Aamonte Hadley was found unconscious on September 3 and pronounced dead that same day. It is unknown exactly how Hadley died.
“Aamonte is important. She deserved her day in court. She deserved a plea. She deserved a voice. She deserved to live,” said Patrice Bolton, Hadley’s aunt.
The sheriff’s office says an investigation is underway, but Hadley’s family says they want their own, independent investigation conducted.
“We demand that justice be done to the unanswered questions,” said Eulisha Hall, Hadley’s cousin.
Hadley spent nearly two years in prison before her death. She was arrested in September 2022 in connection with a series of armed robberies.
She was charged with 13 counts of armed robbery and was ordered to remain behind bars until her trial.
Hadley’s attorneys have tried several times to have her transferred to a mental health program, but have been denied.
Her supporters said those denials contributed to the environment that led to Hadley’s death, and they also blamed District Attorney Brooke Jenkins personally for keeping Hadley behind bars.
“I sat in that court hearing and I watched the prosecutor resist mental health treatment for Aamonte Hadley. It was disgraceful. It was horrible,” said Diana Block of the California Coalition for Women Prisoners.
In a statement, DA Jenkins responded to Hadley’s supporters by saying, in part: “[Hadley] was held for trial due to the public safety risk she posed. The court denied the defense’s numerous requests for mental health diversion, finding it unwarranted in this case. If the defense had truly acted in their client’s best interest and sought to settle or go to trial sooner, this tragedy may have been avoided. Unfortunately, we will never know.”
The prosecutor then expressed her condolences to Hadley’s family.
But Hadley’s family says they’re not stopping here. They want accountability for Hadley’s death and said they will keep fighting until justice is done.
“This capsule we’re in is temporary, but the hearts we carry are forever. And if you know nothing else, just know that we love her and we won’t stop,” Bolton said.
