MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The family of former WWE star Brian Lawler is speaking out, saying they don’t believe he killed himself in his jail cell as the TBI investigates his death.
Just before his death last month, he made a 15-minute phone call to his father.
“He said I’m going to die in here,” his father, wrestler Jerry Lawler, said. “He just kind of went on about the conditions there.”
A few hours later, his mother received a different call — this time from someone at the jail saying Brian had gotten into a fight that caused him to get stitches.
That was the last call the family say they got, until one last one from a deputy sheriff.
“He said ‘Mr. Lawler, I got some bad news.’ He said ‘Your son Brian has hung himself.'”
“Hanging” is listed as the cause of death on Brian’s death certificate.
The Lawler family is still in shock and disbelief, and their lawyer Ted Hansom says it just just doesn’t make sense. There are so many unanswered questions.
“In the case, the question is what is the mechanism that was used? Where did it come from? If he’s in a cell by himself how did he get to it?” Hansom said.
The day following his death, the sheriff’s office sent us a statement saying Brian was placed in a cell by himself.
But the Lawlers say they don’t believe it, especially after hearing from former and current inmates.
In fact, Jerry Lawler spoke with a former inmate just before our interview who said he and Brian spent much time talking leading up to his death.
“He was actually playing cards with Brian in the pod that day.”
That’s why none of this adds up.
“These were his exact words,” Jerry said. “He said I have 92 dollars to my name but if I had 9 million I would bet that Brian did not do that to himself.”
Another red flag in this case are shown through photos from when Brian was in the hospital. Jerry believes he may had been choked by someone and tried to stop it.”
Photos show marks on Brian’s neck — marks that Jerry and his lawyer ted says doesn’t show Brian hung himself.
“There’s a space about the size of your hand where it looks like, to me, that if there was something definitely choking him. It looks like Brian was holding on to what it was and trying to pull it away.”
Jerry says he constantly takes the blame telling himself he should’ve bailed his son out.
But now, as he grieves about his loss, he wants everyone to know he won’t stop fighting for his son, and this case will be solved.
He is anxious to see the final TBI report, which should include a final autopsy. They’re also hoping video captured in the jail would help tremendously.