Obese Inmates Sues Over Weight Loss

By Miss Cellania in Crime & Law on Apr 29, 2008 at 10:26 am

19-year-old Broderick Laswell was arrested in Benton County, Arkansas last September on a murder charge. He weighed 413 pounds at the time. Since then, he has lost 105 pounds, and is now suing his jailers for starving him.

According to the U.S. District Court complaint, an excerpt of which you’ll find here, Laswell contends that he is being provided with so few calories that, about an hour after every meal, “my stomach starts to hurt and growl. I feel hungry again.” This purported “lack of nutrition,” Laswell claims, is reflected in miniscule biscuits and cake sizes, the small amount of chips accompanying sandwiches, and the occasional provision of “2 small cookies.” And just in case anyone thought he was only concerned about junk food, the accused killer also complains about the “drizzle of dressing” placed on his “small side of lettuce.”

Authorities report the jail food provides 2300-3000 calories a day. The Smoking Gun has a series of mug shots showing Laswell’s weight loss. Link


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  1. cuimhne
    Apr 29th, 2008 at 10:34 am

    Shouldn’t he be thanking them for helping him lose weight? Plus he was huge!

  2. wendy
    Apr 29th, 2008 at 10:45 am

    I can see that the lack of any hot meals is crappy. Shouldn’t at least dinner be served warm? But I think the rest is nonsense. I am working for a living and some days I struggle to get 2000 calories! That’s plenty to keep one at a healthy weight; he’s just losing the excess.

  3. Jaxx
    Apr 29th, 2008 at 10:59 am

    2300 calories a day, and his BMI (Ergo, sit on his ass and not loose weight) would be closer to 3700. He’s not going to turn to “skin and bones” at 2300 calories, but he will stop loosing weight once he hits around 210(ish). While I feel his pain (Fat boy myself) I have trouble garnering sympathy, he is, after all, a murderer. As for the lack of energy, dizziness, etc, yes, he’s loosing weight too fast to be healthy.

  4. Stephanie
    Apr 29th, 2008 at 11:04 am

    I wish I could murder someone and eat that good…

  5. Stephanie
    Apr 29th, 2008 at 11:05 am

    Sounds like a blessing… weighing 400 pounds is really unhealthy. Consider it a free diet plan. Some people.

  6. Wheezley Blighter
    Apr 29th, 2008 at 11:08 am

    Poor tubby-tubby… how many calories does his victim get today?

  7. bean
    Apr 29th, 2008 at 11:24 am

    This is why the death penalty is better than life sentences. My tax dollars shouldn’t be used to feed this greedy lardass.

  8. sickb*stard
    Apr 29th, 2008 at 11:34 am

    B-O-O-H-O-O

    What a whiny b&$%^. I’m sure he’s getting the exact same food as everyone else in there.

  9. Rosi
    Apr 29th, 2008 at 11:34 am

    It’s PRISON it’s not meant to be nice! Why should he get special treatment just because he’s a lardass?
    People can survive on that much a day, probably even less, healthily. So what if he’s losing weight at an unhealthy rate? He should have thought about that before he went and killed someone.
    Prisons are way too nice now. Some of the prisons I’ve seen are nicer than my house! They even get playstation and TVs in their cells, entertainment shows, music lessons, and whenever they fall sick they get a doctor immediately! I think only the basic things needed to survive should be given, and all the inmates can just deal without the rest.

  10. Morgan
    Apr 29th, 2008 at 11:42 am

    I fully and completely agree with Rosi.

  11. Arty
    Apr 29th, 2008 at 11:43 am

    A prime example of how a person will look for any reason to sue anyone or anything. Geez.

    The meal he described for lunch sounds perfectly fine! I eat so much less than that! I did have to wonder about how healthy the meal was though. Plus after thinking about the amount of pounds he lost over time, the speed of the weight loss isn’t that drastic at all. Does he actually like being overweight?? I wonder…

  12. Evilbeagle
    Apr 29th, 2008 at 11:46 am

    Rosi is dead right. Where does this guy think he is? Prison is such a joke these days. I thought it was all about punishment. It’s more like a resort, and if tubby boy actually gets away with this, I will be sick.

  13. Miss Cellania
    Apr 29th, 2008 at 11:48 am

    I don’t think he’s been convicted yet, so it’s just jail, not prison. Remember the presumption of innocence. Still…

  14. Lore
    Apr 29th, 2008 at 12:10 pm

    What did he think that committing murder would send him to a spa?

  15. Christophe
    Apr 29th, 2008 at 1:04 pm

    Just the kind of guy who would have sued for unhealthy oversized meals anyway…

  16. NiteWhite
    Apr 29th, 2008 at 1:39 pm

    I kinda feel sorry for the poor guy. Imagine your stomach growling, OH THE INHUMANITY!!!

  17. CheeseDuck
    Apr 29th, 2008 at 2:29 pm

    Wow! So this person is actually angry that he LOST weight? Didn’t some people sue McDonalds for making ‘em GAIN weight? What do you want, people!

  18. Scooter
    Apr 29th, 2008 at 2:35 pm

    so he’s complaining about the serving size, have you ever read a package and looked at serving size? If you’re used to eating as much as you want only getting what’s required can seem like a drastic cutback.
    But still he’s not gonna starve, he is getting the amount of food everyone else gets or should get. He just needs to STHU and live with it.
    If only everyone in the world could be fed as well as he is.

  19. Ali S.
    Apr 29th, 2008 at 2:38 pm

    @ Rosi

    I have to agree as well!

  20. L
    Apr 29th, 2008 at 3:00 pm

    I’m sure there are starving people around the world who would be more than grateful for 3000 calories a day. Heck, that could last some people two days!

  21. Sofar
    Apr 29th, 2008 at 3:48 pm

    He must have had to eat a lot to stay fat before being put away if he lost a hundred pounds on a three-thousand-calorie-per-diem diet. I know a few fat men with a calorie intake that’s half of that.

  22. Reechard
    Apr 29th, 2008 at 6:33 pm

    Let’s hope the murder diet doesn’t catch on.

    and for someone who likes them so much he sure can’t spell calories.

  23. MightyCow
    Apr 29th, 2008 at 6:52 pm

    Maybe his new boyfriend likes him fat?

  24. Lea
    Apr 29th, 2008 at 7:18 pm

    I have absolutely no sympathy for whiney idiots who don’t know how to act in the first place. You’re in jail for a reason. It’s not a spa, get used to it. You screw up, you get punished! At least that is how it should be. I completely agree with Rosi.

    He’s probably they same kind of jerk to sue MacDonald’s for “making” him fat.

    …my grandfather was murdered, but you know what? His killers have 3 square meals a day, a roof over their heads, guaranteed health care. What did my grandfather get? My grandmother? My Dad? Nothing but loss. So why do criminals have it so cushy? Human rights activists and lawyers need to focus on the people who really deserve help.

  25. Jennifer
    Apr 29th, 2008 at 7:38 pm

    Ah, poor baby.

    You know what’s really frightening? In the current legal system, this …. blob, might actually win the case.

  26. aj
    Apr 29th, 2008 at 7:49 pm

    There sure is a lot of hating for a guy that hasn’t been convicted yet.
    @Lea, I’m sorry to hear that, however what would you have done. Execution is a bad path to take, as many false convictions have occurred. Perhaps a monetary settlement for the victims family? Regardless I don’t think treating the prisoners worse than what we do is a humane solution, and I presume that that is our goal.

  27. Ola Amigo
    Apr 29th, 2008 at 8:30 pm

    Reechard, the murder diet. Too funny. If people thought they could lose weight by going to jail, I’m sure some people would try it.

  28. Ola Amigo
    Apr 29th, 2008 at 8:34 pm

    Have to add, I admire the guys chutzpah. You get arrested for murder and you’re the one complaining? You weigh 400 pounds and you bitch about the bad food and the small portions, in prison! Damn. We could use a man like this at Verizon. Please forward your resume when you get out Homie!

  29. Idil
    Apr 29th, 2008 at 11:54 pm

    Wow this guy must know nothing of concentration camps.

  30. Charles
    Apr 30th, 2008 at 7:25 am

    Doesn’t matter if there’s presumed innocence here, it’s prison, tough knocks, deal with it buddy and STFU!

  31. Evilbeagle
    Apr 30th, 2008 at 9:22 am

    Agreed, Charles!

  32. Rich
    Apr 30th, 2008 at 10:18 am

    If convicted… they ought to stick a funnel in his mouth and force feed him a 20 gallon jug of gravy.

  33. tigergal39
    Apr 30th, 2008 at 9:04 pm

    this guy eats better than I do

  34. fsmarch
    Apr 30th, 2008 at 10:12 pm

    Ah, poor Tubsy Wubsy.

  35. MoonCake
    May 1st, 2008 at 6:38 am

    this is just embarassing.. and i can’t believe he thinks its a legitimate complaint. he could only be so lucky to lose weight due to his bad decision. yunno, i always wonder how cases like this actually make it into a courtroom. i would think that SOMEONE would say “dude.. come on. you were over 400lbs and you’re losing weight. hunger happens. you will not likely turn to skin and bones while being here, if anything, you’ll prove that you’re really only half the man you thought you were.”

    HA!

  36. Hirudin
    May 1st, 2008 at 9:00 am

    I agree with most of the posters here: lets turn our prisons into starvation camps!

    Just think of all the benefits…
    - starving people are weak – less fighting and less threat to the guards… also, they’ll be easier to abuse!

    - improper nutrition impairs brain function – keep them stupid! When they re-enter society they’ll be easy to spot and easier to discriminate against.

    - food cost money – reduce our taxes by 0.03%!!!! Yeah, that’ll be an extra couple bucks in our pockets! Buy a latte with the savings!

    - less food means less food preparation staff. Combined with the weakling prisoners we’re sure to save even more money!

    - prisoners will be less resistant to disease! Turn every prison-sentence into a death sentence: YAY! I hope none of the super-germs that will surely evolve make it outside the prison walls!

    - While we’re at it: eliminate medical care in prisons! Instead of nipping injuries and illnesses “in the bud” let them spread and fester until they reach epidemic levels. A yearly spray down with bleach (or perhaps a cheaper alternative) should suffice, after all, they’re just prisoners.

    I’ve never been there, but I bet it’s not the country club some of you seem to think it is and I bet 99% of you wouldn’t put your money where your mouth is.

    How many of you would agree to spend a month in prison for $10,000? How-’bout-it: a whole month of relaxing in your cell, reading books, meeting new friends, and eating like a king for $10 grand? The potential for weight loss alone should make it worth it!

  37. ted
    May 1st, 2008 at 9:11 am

    They just don’t want to have to shell out for a grand piano to bury him in when they do fry his sorry ass.

    Maybe Jared from Subway should visit him.


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