Lawsuit filed over 2019 jailhouse suicide in Wichita

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A civil lawsuit has been filed over the jail suicide of a Wichita man charged with killing an elderly Army veteran. KAKE reports that the suit, which was filed Friday, alleges that Sedgwick County commissioners and the sheriff are at fault in the death of 36-year-old Austin Stewart. He was found dead in his cell in May 2019 of self-inflicted asphyxiation. Stewart was charged with first-degree murder, aggravated robbery and theft in the November 2018 beating and asphyxiation death of 88-year-old Floyd Gilbert. Court records say Gilbert died during an attempted robbery. Stewart and another man apparently targeted Gilbert because they thought he kept cash and guns in a safe in his home.