Kane Co. sued over prisoner's suicide

A wrongful-death lawsuit has been filed by the family of a Yorkville man who killed himself at the Kane County courthouse last summer after being sentenced to prison.

Matthew Brockman, 20, hanged himself with his belt in a holding cell at the courthouse in St. Charles on June 15, moments after receiving a two-year term for felony aggravated battery.

The lawsuit, filed late last week, accuses county officials of failing to protect Brockman from "self-injury or self-destruction" by leaving him alone and unsupervised without taking into account his mental health, even as he exhibited "abnormal behavior."

The suit seeks unspecified damages for "grief, sorrow and mental suffering to the decedent's next of kin."

Plaintiff attorney Brian Perkins declined to comment further.

Brockman had been convicted of beating a 27-year-old Sandwich man after an argument while leaving a party in Aurora on June 11, 2008.

According to police, Brockman punched the victim, knocking him to the ground, where he hit his head and lost consciousness. He then struck the victim at least two more times in the face, breaking his jaw, nose and teeth, police said.

Attorney Ken Shepro, who represents Kane County, could not immediately be reached for comment Monday. The lawsuit is scheduled to go before Judge Judith M. Brawka July 1.