According to Charles Blow's NYT article, the Bible was open for the second video by NBC News. Call it someone's idea of a prop for suicide theater for TV. Shoes were gone in the second shot. Maybe they remembered she had them on when the EMT's took her away.

Why the huge garbage can, see image below from Blow's article. What does an inmate have to throw out?

And has anyone ever used a cheap can liner to hang themselves? She was 6 feet tall BTW.

Why 'stage it'? Why shoot a guy in the back at 25 yards in SC? Why U-turn and speed up and pull up behind Ms. Bland tailgating her, then arresting and assaulting her for getting out of your way?

One cannot comprehend these people's minds, motives or why they do what they do. And many are not too smart. But smart enough. Lying helps on that score.

And could staff be told to support the official line? I imagine so. And will stick with it unless grilled individually and put on lie detectors.

Why do some lie when telling the truth might not really be so bad for them? Habit, business as usual in a rigid hierarchical environment.

Perhaps you lie about it because you didn't know why a young lady died, you worry that if the lady who should never have been arrested in the first place winds up dead in your custody the heat, the focus and the accountability will be on you.

And over the 27 hours between when she died, 9am July 13, and when it was reported, noon the next day, suicide seemed the low risk route, blame her, focus on the victim, she was dead anyway.

This one is from the LA Times. Note the prominent position of the huge waste can and the rushed unprofessional placement of the can liner. If she used a can liner, shouldn't this bin be empty, and the liner checked for fingerprints?

BTW why a can liner?

Wouldn't the bed sheet or a torn piece of inmate clothing work better?

Oh but of course, the EMT's, others, too many saw the victim and the scene, a pant leg couldn't be torn off later, too many had seen her and the cell.

So what to use as the 'rope'? A disposable can liner?

Looks similar to the others, with a better view of the 'privacy partition' which if you are on the toilet side, I don't think anyone could tell if you were alive or dead from the cell door peep hole.

Unless the family can get a very good non-Texas non-cop connected forensic pathologist to examine the body (if not too late) with the differential diagnosis including the prison lied about the plastic bag and she MAY HAVE died of an epileptic attack and SUDEP. -(leaves no trace in autopsy see SUDEP link)

OR agreeing that she did hang herself determined by examination of the supposed marks on her neck occurring prior to and being the cause of death (if faked after death this is often detectable).

Unless that happens, I would say cops or prisons presenting testimony and conclusions about circumstances surrounding the death of a person in their custody, especially if black, cannot be trusted

Agree on murder by cop.

Although reporting the death as suicide takes the focus off the arrest and the cops and puts the onus of her final fate onto her. 'Yes, the arrest was overly aggressive. But..... it was legal. Unfortunately she was a weak suicidal woman who then killed herself".

Which - along with the multitude of reasons above - is why the first suicide in history by can liner.....and that novel act by a 6 ft woman on a 5 foot partition.......is just another protect-the-cops fairy tale.

"Billie Bob, take one of those big waste cans from the officers lounge and put it in there for the TV cameras, make sure a can liner is in it"

Thanks for commenting and for the links.

The way the arresting cop behaved towards Ms. Bland one would pretty well assume Waller County is replete with racist a**holes and idiots devoid of any common decency, and in positions of authority to boot.

Media handling of this is disappointing (am I surprised? no) considering that:

1) Sandra self reported on the arrest video and the booking that she had epilepsy.

2) Stress is known to increase attacks of it

3) Attacks can be fatal. If I put 'epilepsy, sudden death' into Google I get a slew of articles on that fatal condition.   See lead post link on SUDEP,

Yet I have heard not one media comment or article:

(1)  expressing even an iota of doubt on the veracity of the prison 'suicide by bag liner' report, issued 27 hours after her death.

(2) suggesting some faint implication that SUDEP could be the real cause of her demise.

Particularly with all the odd circumstances in the prison as noted in this post and by Charles Blow at the NYT link.

The 'death by bag liner around the neck strangulation' being an unheard of method of suicide.  And the usual sheets or clothing were available to perform the act in the traditional fashion. (see hypothesis above on 'why the bag liner').