Hawaii Inmate In Arizona Prison Died With Meth In His System
Other prisoners were seen entering the cell of Richard Taylor Jr. before his body was found at the Saguaro Correctional Center.
The body of a Hawaii inmate found dead in his cell in an Arizona prison in late October tested positive for methamphetamine, and an autopsy in the case has classified his death as an accident blamed in part on meth abuse.
The death of Richard Keokeo Taylor Jr. is the third known drug-related death of a Hawaii prison inmate in the last three years.
Taylor was serving multiple life sentences and had spent nearly 28 years in prison when he was found unresponsive in his cell at at 3:41 p.m. on Oct. 22.
Staff at the privately run prison tried unsuccessfully to revive Taylor, 51, but he was finally pronounced dead at the scene, according to an autopsy report by the Pinal County Medical Examiner.
The report shows Taylor went into his cell at 4:19 a.m. after breakfast, and several other prisoners also visited the cell. Taylor never came out. A corrections officer found him during a cell check more than 11 hours later.
The cause of death was listed as — a type of heart failure — with a contributing cause listed as methamphetamine abuse. Meth was detected in Taylor’s blood, according to the autopsy report.
Taylor was serving three life sentences for armed robberies on the Big Island, including the gunpoint holdup of a downtown Hilo pizza restaurant in 1995, and a knifepoint robbery of a tourist in Onomea.
Saguaro prison is operated by a private company called CoreCivic. Hawaii now holds 876 prisoners at that facility, and the state paid CoreCivic nearly $33 million last fiscal year to house and transport Hawaii prisoners to and from Saguaro.
Public Safety Director Tommy Johnson declined requests this week for an interview about Taylor’s death, but the department said in a written statement that an investigation into the case is ongoing.
There have been no other cases of drug overdoses at the facility this year, and no Saguaro staff members have resigned or been fired, charged or arrested for smuggling contraband this year, according to the statement.
Christin Johnson, oversight coordinator with the Hawaii Correctional System Oversight Commission, said that prior to Taylor’s death the commission was not made aware of any particular problem with drug use or smuggling at Saguaro.
“Drug use in facilities is common across the country, unfortunately, and it’s probably one of the most preventable deaths that occur in custody, but we haven’t heard about this being a huge issue directly at Saguaro,” she said.
Johnson said the department will likely do a death review in this case. Those reviews are designed to find ways to prevent similar deaths in the future.
“I definitely think that would be more than appropriate in this case,” she said. She also said an independent investigation would be appropriate.
The state contract with CoreCivic requires the company to conduct urinalysis on at least 10% of the prisoners per month at Saguaro. The prison is also required to report all suspected felonies to local law enforcement.
CoreCivic is required under its contract with the state to refer all media requests back to the Department of Public Safety.
Two other drug-related deaths of Hawaii inmates were reported at Halawa Correctional Facility in 2021. Those cases involved 38-year-old inmate Kanikahekili Cuizon and Noa Mamala, 30, who died at the prison about eight weeks apart. Those deaths were attributed to the drug known as spice.
