Micah Laureano Obituary, Death; – The mother of the 19-year-old prisoner who was killed at Green Bay Correctional Institution in August has filed a lawsuit against the Wisconsin Department of Corrections and prison officials, alleging they failed to adequately protect her son.
Phyllis Laureano, acting as the personal administrator for the estate of Micah Laureano, has initiated legal proceedings against the Department of Corrections, DOC Secretary Jared Hoy, Green Bay Correctional Institution Warden Christopher Stevens, and potentially other individuals.
The lawsuit claims that the defendants violated Micah’s constitutional rights under the Eighth Amendment by allowing him to suffer cruel and unusual punishment. It also alleges that the defendants were “deliberately indifferent to the safety of Mr. Laureano” and that the DOC and prison officials failed to adequately train prison staff on policies and procedures regarding cell assignments.
Correctional officers at the Green Bay prison found Micah Laureano dead in his cell on the night of August 27, 2024. An autopsy determined that he died of strangulation or suffocation. Micah’s cellmate, Jackson Vogel, who was 24 years old at the time, has been charged with first-degree intentional homicide as a hate crime. Vogel admitted to killing Laureano because he was “bored” and believed that Laureano “checked all the boxes,” including the teen’s race and perceived sexual orientation.
Vogel has pleaded not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect and is scheduled to return to court on March 17 for a status conference. However, Phyllis Laureano has expressed her hope that beyond the criminal consequences for the person who killed her son, there will be accountability from the DOC and prison officials who failed to prevent Micah’s death.
