Photo: GoFundMe
The FBI is now investigating the death of a Black man found hanging in an abandoned house in Alabama after a local sheriff's office ruled the incident a suicide, per PEOPLE.
Leigh Richardson, the wife of 39-year-old Dennoriss Richardson, whose body was discovered on September 28, said she doesn't believe her husband died by suicide as determined by the Colbert County Sheriff’s Office.
Dennoriss, a father of five, didn't leave a note and had no known connection to the home where his body was found, Leigh said.
“This was made to look like a suicide,” she said. “It’s not a suicide.”
Leigh suspects that Dennoriss' death might be connected to a lawsuit he filed against the Sheffield Police Department earlier this year. Dennoriss previously had several run-ins with the Sheffield police, including a five-year prison stint for alleged drug possession and several arrests on charges of robbery and assault, but none of which resulted in conviction.
“They harassed him his whole life,” Leigh said of local police.
Dennoriss' lawsuit, one of several similar cases against Sheffield police, alleged that he was assaulted, sprayed with tear gas, shocked with a taser, and denied medical aid while in jail.
As loved ones remain skeptical of the circumstances surrounding Dennoriss' death, Sheriff Eric Balentine requested the FBI conduct its own investigation into the incident.
“We feel confident in what our findings were but we feel like by doing this we can give the family more peace of mind," Balentine said in a statement. "Transparency is always a good way to mend some fences with the community."
Leigh hasn't made any specific accusations but maintains her husband didn't take his life.
“I do have hope that the FBI and the justice department will look into all of the details,” she said. “And also not only for Dennoriss — this is a huge issue in our community.”
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