Second Rikers detainee dies in NYC custody in less than a week, officials say

A man died in the custody of the New York City Department of Correction on Monday after having a medical episode at court, the agency said, marking the city’s second detainee death in less than a week.

Terrence Moore, 55, was at Manhattan Supreme Court for a scheduled appearance when he had a seizure in the holding area, according to the department. Staff “immediately” rendered medical aid until emergency medical workers arrived, but Moore was pronounced dead just before 5 p.m., jail officials said.

City Correction Commissioner Lynelle Maginley-Liddie expressed condolences for Moore and his loved ones, pledging in a statement that her department would “fully investigate” his death. The agency said it had notified the federal monitor overseeing the Rikers Island jail complex, where Moore was living, as well as state and city officials about the incident.

Moore had been housed at Rikers’ North Infirmary Command, according to the correction department. Court records show that the slated hearing Monday was related to a psychiatric evaluation and that he was facing charges of murder, burglary and sex abuse.

Moore’s lawyer Glenn Hardy said Moore was arrested in 2023 in connection with the killing of a 74-year-old Upper West Side woman who police said was found badly beaten in her apartment. Hardy said he had waived Moore’s expected appearance in court on Monday, so he did not get to meet with his client before receiving news of Moore’s death from the jail agency.

Hardy said he was shocked by the incident and did not know Moore to have any underlying physical health issues. The two men last saw each other via video conference earlier this month, Hardy said.

“He's been my client for two years at this point,” the attorney said. “He was always very pleasant to me. He didn't complain about anything or say, ‘Hey, I need medication,’ other than complaining about the food.”

Hardy said Moore previously spent 30 years in prison after being convicted of a murder in Brooklyn when he was a teenager. The attorney said he ordered a psychiatric evaluation in the current case given Moore’s history, and was still waiting on the results.

He added that he was not sure why Moore was being housed at the Rikers infirmary, but said jail staff sometimes move detainees for various reasons.

Last Wednesday, 38-year-old Rikers detainee Ramel Powell died at the Otis Bantum Correctional Center, becoming the first person to die in Department of Correction custody so far this year, jail officials said. No further details were provided on his cause of death.

Five people died last year while in custody or shortly after their release, according to the city Board of Correction. Jail officials have faced heightened scrutiny and the possibility of a federal takeover of Rikers after 19 detainees died in 2022, marking the highest death rate in more than 25 years.

This is a developing story and may be updated.