Santa Clara Inmate's Death Reportedly Caused by Heart Attack

By Merylee Robbins

Published on August 15, 2005

After a thorough examination by the Santa Clara County Medical Examiner, the County reported that Gracia's death was natural, resulting from a sudden heart attack caused by abnormalities in his heart muscle.

Gracia's family, who has filed a $5 million lawsuit against the county for wrongful death, is questioning these findings. The coroner discovered Gracia's heart abnormalities resulted from blood flow deprivation, causing the sudden cardiac arrest, which Gracia's family argues was caused by asphyxiation. The county denies that Gracia was suffocated when officers piled on top of him to control him during a head injury related seizure, and rejects the family's claim that the County is at fault.

Attorney for the Gracia family, Anthony J. Palik, believes that Carlos's injuries are consistent with traumatic asphyxiation, stating that the weight of the officers on top of him could have definitely resulted in lack of blood circulation to the vital organs. Large quantities of blood removed from Gracia's breathing passages during autopsy is another supporting indicator that the forced used upon Garcia caused fatal injury.

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