06/12/2026
"The Cook County Board on Thursday approved a $4.5 million settlement to the family of a man who hanged himself while in custody at the Cook County Jail.
Michael O’Connor’s family sued under the state’s Wrongful Death Act, alleging the Cook County sheriff’s office fell short in monitoring O’Connor, who had a history of mental illness and was a well-known su***de risk when he died at the Southwest Side facility on Christmas Day in 2023."
Cook County settles with family of man who hanged himself in jail cell Michael O’Connor’s family sued under the state’s Wrongful Death Act, alleging the Cook County sheriff’s office fell short in monitoring O’Connor.