Death of county jail inmate ruled homicide

The death of a Spokane County Jail inmate who fought with deputies earlier this year has been ruled a homicide by the medical examiner.

But it’s up to the Spokane County prosecutor’s office to determine whether the circumstances surrounding the death of 39-year-old Benites Sichiro were justifiable or if criminal charges are warranted.

Sichiro died Jan. 29 from a lacerated liver caused by a blow to the torso, according to the medical examiner’s report. His fatal injuries were suffered during one of three scuffles with Spokane County corrections deputies.

The investigation of the death has been completed by detectives from the Sheriff’s Office, Spokane Police Department and Washington State Patrol, said Sgt. Dave Reagan, Sheriff’s Office spokesman. It was forwarded to the prosecutor’s office Thursday without any conclusions or recommendations for action from the law enforcement agencies.

“We have established the facts of the case,” Reagan said. “It’s up to the prosecutor’s office to decide where it goes from here.”

Chief Deputy Prosecutor Jack Driscoll said review of the death could take up to a month.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is also reviewing Sichiro’s case. FBI investigators were unavailable Thursday for comment on the status of their inquiry.

Spokane police arrested Sichiro Jan. 27 on warrants for criminal trespass, obstruction of justice and fourth-degree assault – all misdemeanors, police said. Jail booking mug shots indicate that when Sichiro was taken into custody, it appeared he had been in a fight.

Sichiro was medically cleared before being booked into Spokane County Jail, officials said.

When Sichiro began exhibiting signs of alcohol withdrawal Jan. 29, the jail nurse asked that he be moved to a cell closer to the nurse’s station so he could be monitored, officials said. Three fights with deputies ensued as deputies tried to move the inmate. Corrections deputies used a Taser and knee strikes during the scuffles to try to gain control of Sichiro.

“While attempting to place the struggling suspect in a restraint chair, he stopped breathing,” Reagan said. Jail staff revived Sichiro. “He was transported to a hospital, where he underwent surgery for internal bleeding and subsequently died.”

Eight corrections officers were involved in the three fights at the jail. They were briefly placed on paid administrative leave after Sichiro’s death but have resumed their duties. Former Sheriff Mark Sterk said there was no evidence to indicate the officers did anything wrong.