Colin Kaepernick is footing the bill for an independent autopsy in the case of De'Martravion "Trey" Reed, a Delta State University student whose death by hanging was ruled a suicide earlier this week. Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, representing Reed's family, announced on Friday that Kaepernick's Know Your Rights Camp (KYRC) will cover the costs as the family pushes back against the Mississippi State Medical Examiner's findings, per TMZ.
Reed, a Black student, was found hanging from a tree on campus on Monday. The Reed family was originally told he died in his dorm room, in his bed, per the Mississippi Free Press, with their doubts deepening after authorities reported no signs of assault on his body. In a statement, Crump said Reed's death has "evoked the collective memory of a community that has suffered a historic wound," adding that "peace will come only by getting to the truth." He also thanked Kaepernick for his support.
On the same day Reed was found, another hanging death occurred 100 miles away—that of Cory Zukatis, a 36-year-old white man—but authorities haven't indicated any connection between the cases. Kaepernick, who launched KYRC with his wife, Nessa, in 2016, has made social justice work his focus since his NFL days. The KYRC Autopsy Initiative aims to help families like Reed's access a second opinion in controversial death cases, offering services at no cost.
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