Coroner rules prison death due to diabetes-related murder; family plans lawsuit against county

By Miriam Raftery

September 21, 2024 (San Diego) – The San Diego County Sheriff's Department has been under scrutiny for years for its high rate of jail deaths. Despite numerous reforms implemented by Sheriff Kelly Martinez that have reduced the overall number of inmate deaths, another shocking death has sparked a lawsuit against the county – this time a diabetic man who pleaded for insulin, as did fellow inmates on his behalf. His empty insulin pump beeped for nearly 24 hours before he was found dead in his jail cell.

Keith Galen Bach, 62, of Chula Vista died last year on Sept. 28 in San Diego Central Jail. He was arrested on Sept. 25 on charges of vandalism and criminal threats. Before his incarceration, he was briefly hospitalized for diabetes. At the time of his arrest, he had informed staff that he would run out of insulin the next day, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

A Type 1 diabetic, he was administered insulin by sheriff's staff on September 26 and a lower dose on September 27.^thThe latter while his insulin levels were dangerously low.

A nurse ordered a higher dose, but approval was pending. Nineteen hours passed without Bach receiving medical attention, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports, even after his insulin pump alarm went off and other prisoners called sheriff's personnel for help. He was later found dead in his cell.

The county medical examiner concluded that the neglect was so severe that he ruled Bach's death a homicide in his report. The district attorney is reviewing the case and considering filing charges.

“Following inadequate insulin administration while incarcerated, Mr. Bach developed diabetic ketoacidosis and died,” the medical examiner's report states. “This occurred despite medical records detailing his medical status, his insulin requirements, the time when his pump would run out, and multiple unanswered requests for insulin from Mr. Bach and fellow inmates.”

Bach died without being accused of any crimes.

“It is very rare that the San Diego County Coroner reports that the San Diego Sheriff's Department committed a murder of a San Diego citizen,” attorney Brian Mason, partner at Gomez Trials Attorneys, told NBC 7.

The family has announced that it plans to sue the sheriff's department, as well as San Diego County and a company that is contracted to care for the detainees.

The sheriff's office does not comment on pending litigation.

“This is an ongoing investigation and it is imperative that we protect the integrity of the investigation,” the sheriff's department said in a statement. “We extend our condolences to Mr. Bach's family and everyone affected by his death.”

A state investigation released in 2022 found that San Diego's prisons had the highest death rate among large California counties, with 185 deaths between 2006 and 2020. It recommended legal reforms. The deaths have also cost taxpayers millions, most recently a $15 million settlement for the death of Elisa Serna, who died in 2019 at Las Colinas women's prison due to inadequate medical care.