Former Jail Deputy Convicted by Federal Jury in Civil Rights Case Over Detainee's Death; Five Others Pleaded Guilty
A federal jury convicted Paula Kelley, a former detention deputy at the Garvin County Jail in Pauls Valley, Garvin County, Oklahoma, on June 12, 2026, in a civil rights case; the Department of Justice announced the verdict on June 15, and this story is archived by the announcement date. Kelley was convicted of one count of violating 18 U.S.C. section 242.
As established at trial, Kelley was on duty when she learned that pretrial detainee Kayla Turley was facing serious medical needs. Despite knowing and observing those needs, she willfully failed to take any reasonable steps to address them. Because of the failure to act by Kelley and other jail staff, Ms. Turley suffered bodily injury and ultimately died. Kelley faces a maximum penalty of life in prison and a fine of up to $250,000; she has not yet been sentenced.
Five others in the case previously pleaded guilty: former detention deputies Jennifer Baxter, Vincent Matthews, Alesha Ingram and Melissa Melton and former jail nurse Lynsee Noel, each facing a maximum of ten years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. Baxter and Noel also pleaded guilty to failing to intervene when other inmates assaulted Ms. Turley after becoming frustrated with her cries for help.
The case was investigated by the FBI's Oklahoma City Field Office and is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Oklahoma and the Criminal Section of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：位于美国俄克拉荷马州加文县的加文县法院（资料照片），案发监狱在该县 Pauls Valley。Crimsonedge34 摄，CC BY-SA 3.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: The Garvin County Courthouse in Garvin County, Oklahoma (file photo); the jail at issue is in Pauls Valley in the county. Photo by Crimsonedge34, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
