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Testimony opened with Logan County Deputy Coroner Timothy Centers
describing in detail the events of the evening of May 28 and the
early morning hours of May 29. He said that Gracey was in a cell by
himself. He was found by a jailer on rounds, sitting slumped forward
on the floor of his cell with his trousers around his neck,
unconscious and unresponsive. The jailer called for help and went
in to get Gracey. He was drug out into the cellblock where CPR could
be administered. Deputy Ferris, with an EMT background, was on duty
and came to assist. Gracey had no pulse and was not breathing. He
was given mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, and the portable
defibrillator was brought in. However, the device indicated there
was no heart rhythm and had no effect. Lifesaving measures were
continued by paramedics as he was transported to ALMH and continued
with meds added by emergency room personnel.
After 37 minutes of attempted efforts to resuscitate him, he was
pronounced dead by emergency room personnel at 1:07 a.m.
Dr. Travis L. Hindman of Springfield performed an autopsy the
next morning. According to his report, there were no marks on
Gracey's body other than those attributable to the immediate cause
of death, hanging by neck. Toxicology results indicated marijuana in
his urine and trace cocaine in the nasal passages. Neither of these
was in his blood, indicating that he had not used these drugs
recently. Marijuana can be found in the urine up to 30 days. No
other drugs were found in his system.
The Illinois State Police agency was called in to investigate
while Gracey was still in the emergency room.
Illinois State Police special agent Robert Jennings, who has 22
years of investigative experience, recounted the report of the
events and further investigation that was conducted into Gracey's
background and circumstances.
Gracey was taken into custody when officers received a call
reporting some youth acting up at Railsplitter Park, south of
Lincoln. A background check showed that he had a warrant for his
arrest for desertion from the military.
He was awaiting transport to Missouri where the Army would try
him for desertion. He had been assigned to a Quartermaster unit at
Fort Wayne, Va. It was unknown how long he had been absent without
leave.
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Jennings spoke with family and friends of Gracey and the inmates who
had shared his cellblock.
Gracey had gone to college in Lincoln and came to stay with
friends here off and on.
His family lives in Mount Vernon. They did not know his
whereabouts. It appeared he went to great strides to keep his
location from his father. His father was a recruiter for the
military. He did not know that his son was AWOL. There were
indications that Joshua may have been concerned that his father
would turn him in, Jennings said.
Jail personnel had no indications from Gracey that he was
considering taking his life. He had indicated on his intake form
that he had once considered it. He said he attempted to kill himself
using a paper clip on his wrists and ankles while he was in the
military, but when the jailer asked him if he was thinking about
that now, he said he was not.
Rounds in the jail are generally done every half hour. Lockdown
was as usual at 11 p.m., with lights out at 11:30.
Gracey had a cell by himself. He had not seemed depressed or
distracted, according to inmates who spoke with him in the cellblock
before lockdown. He exchanged books with the jailer during rounds
after lockdown that night.
Jennings believed that Gracey deliberately killed himself,
because of the manner in which he died. He apparently placed his
mattress on the floor for comfort, tied his trousers to the bunk,
sat down with his legs out in front of him, placed his head through
the trousers loop and leaned forward. This was how he was found,
Jennings said.
He further explained that pressure on the carotid artery stops
the flow of blood to the brain and then a person passes out. This is
called positional asphyxiation. More pressure or weight would make
it go quicker, but it typically takes 15 to 20 seconds to lose
consciousness. "He had the ability at a certain point to stop. It
was an intentional act. I do not believe it was an accident,"
Jennings said. "He had a lot going on in his life," he said.
The jury agreed with the autopsy report that said that Gracey's
cause of death was hanging by the neck and determined that the
manner of death, the driving force of intent, was suicide.
[Jan
Youngquist] |
