The first inmate incarcerated in Fort Dix federal prison, where more than half of the prison population contracted COVID-19, died of the virus, the Bureau of Prisons announced.
Myron Crosby, 58, tested positive for coronavirus in federal prison on December 28 before being transported to a local hospital on January 7 due to “breathing difficulties”, according to the Bureau of Prisons (BOP).
The agency said his health “continued to deteriorate after being admitted to the hospital”.
He died on January 22, the BOP said.
Crosby of Springfield, Massachusetts, has been incarcerated in Fort Dix since September 2019, where he was serving a 14-year sentence for conspiracy to distribute and possession with the intention of distributing heroin.
Crosby, according to court documents, previously warned the BOP and a federal judge that he was susceptible to the deadly effects of COVID-19 due to his health and the underlying conditions he had.
“Sir. Crosby has four significant underlying health conditions that put him at an increased risk of serious illness caused by COVID-19,” wrote Jeffrey Silverstein, his lawyer, in a compassionate release motion last summer.
Crosby, according to the motion, had a serious heart problem and suffered a heart attack in federal custody in 2015, had a history of kidney problems, was “severely obese” and had type 2 diabetes.
“It seems indisputable that the Defendant, although still under the age of 65, has several high-risk illnesses that make him particularly more susceptible to a serious COVID disease than other people in his age group,” wrote Silverstein.
The request for release was denied by a federal judge in October.
“Despite his health conditions, the nature and seriousness of Mr. Crosby’s offense, his criminal history and the danger to the community attorney against his release,” wrote United States District Judge John A. Woodcock Jr.
Silverstein did not immediately respond to a request for comment on his client’s death.
Crosby tested positive for the virus in the middle of the second significant outbreak at Fort Dix during the pandemic. The prison has the highest number of positive cases of any prison in the federal system, with more than 1,400 positive test inmates – more than half the prison population in the low security prison, according to the BOP.
“Your Honor, this is a cry for help,” wrote an intern to a federal judge on January 2. “I am in the midst of the biggest outbreak of COVID-19 in the federal prison system and I am sick. I don’t want to die here. Please send me home, where I can get the medical help I need. “
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