ST. LOUIS — A 48-year-old inmate whose trial for sodomy charges was about to start Monday died at a hospital after collapsing inside the city’s downtown jail.
Corrections staff took Robert Lee Miller from the City Justice Center to a hospital at 1:42 a.m. Thursday, where he was pronounced dead, according to a police source.
Police didn’t have any additional information about the circumstances of his death, other than calling it a “sudden death,” according to the source.
The Medical Examiner said an autopsy was performed Thursday morning.
Miller was facing three counts of first-degree sodomy and one count of kidnapping stemming from a May 2018 incident involving a 12-year-old victim.
The following is a statement from Corrections Commissioner Jennifer Clemons-Abdullah regarding the death of a City Justice Center detainee early this morning:
“A medical emergency was called for a detainee after midnight early April 28. The detainee arrived on the medical floor, collapsed, and medical staff began resuscitation efforts. EMS was contacted, arrived on scene, and then took over resuscitation efforts. EMS left CJC with the detainee for SSM SLU Hospital. The detainee was pronounced dead at 1:42am.”
“Health and safety of detainees and staff remains our highest priority, and we are looking to ensure all proper protocols in this instance were followed. We await the Medical Examiner’s assessment for more information.”
