John Basco accused his jailers of torture and was in the midst of suing Oklahoma County commissioners, Sheriff Tommie Johnson III, the jail trust, and the two former jailers. It is reported the two former jailers forced Basco and three other inmates to listen to the kids' song Baby Shark on an infinite loop.
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John Basco, 48, a US inmate who accused his jailer of torturing him by him listening to the kids' song 'Baby Shark' on an infinite loop has been found dead in his cell.
According to a press release, Basco was found unresponsive in his cell at approximately 3.50 am on September 11 at the Oklahoma County Detention Centre.
Credit: OKLAHOMA COUNTY JAIL
Corrections officers tried to save the 48-year-old's life and continued resuscitation attempts until emergency responders arrived at the scene.
Paramedics tried to save his life inevitably, hut soon he was pronounced dead after 4:06 a.m, according to the press release from jail officials.
He had wound up in prison following a drug trafficking complaint.
Credit: Ron Buskirk / Alamy
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Basco made it to international headlines in 2020 when he became entangled with a lawsuit against the county.
The 48-year-old claimed back that during a previous stint of incarceration, he and three other inmates were tortured by now-former jail employees Gregory Cornell Butler Jr and Christian Charles Miles.
The two former jail guards allegedly forced the four men to listen to the irritating children's song 'Baby Shark' on a seemingly never-ending loop for hours.
He alleged that they were made to stand with their hands cuffed behind them to a wall during the alleged incidents in November and December 2019.
These men were in midst of suing Oklahoma County commissioners, Sheriff Tommie Johnson III, the jail trust, and the two former jailers at the time of Basco's death, Newsweek reports.
Lawyers representing the prison inmates described the incidents as 'torture events', The Oklahoman reports, the three officers were charged with misdemeanor counts of cruelty to a prisoner and conspiracy.
Basco's lawyer Cameron Spradling told The Oklahoman that he found the circumstances of the 48-year-old's death 'disturbing' and called for 'all evidence (to be) preserved immediately' as the investigation unfolds.
Credit: OKLAHOMA COUNTY JAIL/Pinkfong Baby Shark
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"I'm really bothered by this," Spradling said, as per The Oklahoman, "One of the 'Baby Shark' victims is conveniently dead within three days of his arrival at the jail. How does that happen?"
According to the New York Post, Basco's death makes it 14 this year at the Oklahoma jail that has already been controversial in the past for several deaths and escapes.
Pinkfong Baby Shark
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Jail spokesman Mark Opgrande said there were no obvious signs of foul play and investigators would look into the possibility of a drug overdose.
The State Medical Examiner’s Office will determine the cause of death.
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