PHILADELPHIA - The estate of a man strangled to death in prison by his cellmate is suing Delaware County and others for ignoring warnings his murderer was a danger to others.
A lawsuit was filed March 13 in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania by the estate of Elliott Naythan Funkhouser, Sr., represented by Diane Marie Funkhouser.
The defendants include Delaware County, GEO Group Inc., Jail Oversight Board of Delaware County Pennsylvania, George W. Hill Correctional Facility, Kevin Madden, Laura Williams, Michael Moore, Lt. Sean Gallagher and John Doe.
The case involves the death of Elliott Naythan Funkhouser Sr., who was held at George Hill Correctional Facility for a probation violation in April 2022. He was placed in a cell with inmate Shad Murray Boccella, known to have mental infirmities and violent tendencies.
Despite warnings against this action, Funkhouser was placed with Boccella who subsequently strangled him to death, the suit says. Boccella was in prison on misdemeanor charges including receiving stolen property and now faces murder charges.
Michael LaRosa of Havertown represents the plaintiff.