Nursing Director Charged For 2018 Jail Death of Hardel Sherrell
Nurse Becomes First Medical Provider in Minnesota Charged With an Inmate’s Death
Bemidji, MN — Six and a half years after the tortuous jail death of Hardel Sherrell, charges have been filed against Michelle Skroch, the director of nursing who was in charge of Sherrell’s care at Beltrami County Jail. Skroch was charged with second degree manslaughter and two felony counts of criminal neglect. The charges mark a “historic moment” in Minnesota as Skroch is the first medical provider in the state charged with an inmate’s death, said attorney Zorislav Leyderman during a press conference at the Minnesota State Capitol on March 11, 2025.
Sherrell, 27, died in jail on Sept. 2, 2018 from medical neglect due to complications from Guillain-Barré syndrome, which was undiagnosed at the time. He was the fourth death in the Bemidji jail in as many years.
Skroch was the Nursing Director at MEnD Correctional Care, LLC, a former healthcare provider at the Beltrami County Jail along with 48 other correctional facilities, overseeing the care of up to 9,600 inmates during their peak. Skroch was romantically involved with MEnD’s founder, Dr. Todd Leonard, who became known as Dr. Death after a KARE 11 investigation found at least 25 inmates had died under his care in a six year period.
The Minnesota Board of Medical Practice suspended Leonard’s medical license in March 2022 but his license was renewed in November 2023. Skroch’s license was revoked in 2023. MEnD has since filed for bankruptcy and has ceased operations.
The charges against Skroch were brought by Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison two years after his office was asked to assist Beltrami County in its investigation, which was taken over by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (MN-BCA). In a March 7, 2025 statement by Ellison’s office about the charges, Skroch is said to have “failed to properly care for Mr. Sherrell … and her negligent mistreatment of Mr. Sherrell resulted in his death.”
The charging complaint reads that Skroch “caused the death of H.S. on or about September 2, 2018, by her culpable negligence.” Without a criminal past, Skroch faces a total of 48 months in prison, according to Sherrell’s lawyer Zorislav Leyderman.
Michelle Gross, a paralegal and co-founder of Communities United Against Police Brutality (CUAPB) said “people who provide medical care to people in jails need to recognize that their obligation is to their patients, not to some for-profit medical organization.”
Skroch’s first appearance is scheduled to be a remote hearing on April 11, 2025 at 8:30 a.m. Leyderman said they requested charges against everyone responsible for Hardel’s care and are under the assumption “that other charges may be coming in this case.”
In 2019, Unicorn Riot was the first to publish videos from the Beltrami County Jail which showed the extent of medical neglect that Sherrell endured over an eight-day period as he slowly died while the nurses claimed he was faking his illness.
Since her son fell sick in the jail, Sherrell’s mother Del Shea Perry spent the next years fighting for accountability and change.
Perry built a nonprofit called Be Their Voices that went on to help dozens of families dealing with jail deaths while leading the movement to get justice for her only son. Her story is featured in the film MAMA!.
After working hard to enact change in jails across the state, in 2021, the Hardel Sherrell Act was passed at the Minnesota Legislature to give the MN Department of Corrections greater oversight of county jails, especially over medical care.
“Denying medical care is not just neglect, it is abuse. This is exactly why the Hardel Sherrell Act was passed.”
Danielle Matthias, senior organizer at Minnesota Freedom Fund
Since the passing of the Hardel Sherrell Act, the number of deaths in jail has risen to record highs. In 2023, at least 20 people died while in custody, including young men like 22-year-old Cristian Rivera-Coba.
The crisis of medical neglect in jails is “a violation of basic human rights,” said Danielle Matthias, senior organizer with the Minnesota Freedom Fund. Matthias called on the legislators in the Capitol to pass the Larry R. Hill Medical Reform Act (HF 264) and “set clear, enforceable standards for medical care in our correctional facilities.”
“I thank God that finally we are starting to see some justice in this case, because it’s been long overdue,” said Perry.
See Unicorn Riot’s coverage of Hardel Sherrell and his mother Del Shea:
Be Their Voices Presser: ‘No More Jail Deaths!’ – October 2023
Owner of MEnD Correctional Care Loses License Over In-Custody Death of Hardel Sherrell – March 2022
Demanding the Passage of the Hardel Sherrell Act – May 2021
Whistleblowing RN Complaint Revealed Two Years After Death of Inmate – September 2020
Two Years Later: Protest at MN-BCA Seeks Justice for Hardel Sherrell – September 2020
Gross Violations Found in DOC Review of Inmate’s Death at Beltrami County Jail – May 2020
Harrowing Footage Shows Man’s Last Days Before Dying in Jail – November 2019
Cover image via Niko Georgiades for Unicorn Riot.
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