BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — The Erie County Sheriff's Office announced a Buffalo man who was being held on a second-degree murder charge has died after collapsing and becoming unresponsive inside the Erie County Court building on Thursday.
The sheriff's office said 78-year-old Donald McCoy was being held on the second-degree murder charge in connection to the deadly stabbing of 55-year-old Adele Oliver inside the home she shared with McCoy on Amherst Street.
According to the sheriff's office, McCoy had a complex medical history that required several hospitalizations during his three years in custody. McCoy was admitted to Buffalo General Hospital in November 2023 and then transferred to ECMC for treatment of an infection on his brain. He was cleared by medical staff on Thursday to be transported to Erie County Court to undergo a competency exam. The sheriff's office said upon arrival McCoy collapsed and became unresponsive and it appears he suffered a sudden medical event.
Sheriff John Garcia said authorities are awaiting autopsy reports to determine a cause of death and the New York State Attorney General's Office and New York State Commission of Corrections about the in-custody death.
