Jawara Henry, age 27
Autistic NY patient's death ruled homicide
The Associated Press
Tuesday, December 7, 2010; 9:38 AM
NEW YORK -- The death of a severely autistic patient who had been allegedly restrained at a state-run psychiatric facility in New York has been ruled a homicide.
New York City's medical examiner determined Jawara Henry died of asphyxiation by neck and chest compression on Saturday.
Staten Island District Attorney Daniel Donovan tells The New York Times "any decisions regarding a criminal prosecution will be made down the road."
Family lawyer Gary Douglas tells the paper the 27-year-old functioned at the level of a young child but had no history of outbursts. He says the man's mother had seen injuries on her son before. Henry had been at the Staten Island facility for about a year.
The facility declined to comment due to the investigation.
