The family of Wakiesha Wilson shared their heartbreak with the public regarding the death of their loved one while in custody of the Los Angeles Police Department on Tuesday, Sept. 20.
The press conference was held right in front of the downtown LAPD Metropolitan Detention Center, where Wilson was found dead in her cell on Easter Sunday, March 27. Wilson was expected to be released within a few days of her death, but when her mother, Lisa Hines called the courts on March 29, she was told that her daughter’s name was not listed.
“I miss my baby, I miss her dearly. There is not a day that goes by that I don’t shed a tear. The police were not right,” said Hines. “I think that they were totally out of line for not informing me that she was deceased. I had to call day-after-day. Had I not been calling looking for my daughter, I wouldn’t have found out. They were not going to call me.”
Wilson, 36, was arrested on March 25 on a misdemeanor charge of battery. The next morning she had a conversation with her mother saying that she would be coming to court that Tuesday, March 29 to be released. She also spoke on how she wanted to talk to everyone on Easter Sunday, which also happened to be her Aunt Sheila Hines Brim’s birthday.
“Wakiesha was a very loving person. She had a great personality, outgoing, energetic, full of life and I know on March 27, she wouldn’t have missed calling me to wish me happy birthday,” said Brim. “Wakiesha was the type of person that loved to hug you, loved to embrace, loved to give, offer whatever she had if you needed it. And her smile. She was a beautiful person with a big smile on her face all the time.”
The family has repeatedly tried to get answers about the death of Wilson, but the court has ruled it a suicide. The family does not agree and thinks that there was some sort of foul play or lack of attention. Attorney Carl Douglas, who famously worked with Johnny Cochran during the O.J. Simpson trial, will be representing the family in a $35 million lawsuit. Wilson’s 13-year-old son, who recently moved to Las Vegas to live with his father, is also seeking a lawsuit through a different lawyer to bring justice to his mother’s death.
“It is regrettable that the only way the family can get answers to those questions is by the filing of this claim to damages,” said Douglas. “We are hopeful that this will be the first step towards answering the questions of how and why Wakiesha Wilson lost her life far too soon.”
The press conference ended with members of Black Lives Matter walking with a banner through Downtown Los Angeles chanting, “Say her name! Wakiesha Wilson!”
