County rejects accused killers claim of mistreatment in jail

Accused child killer, Tami Huntsman is claiming she was mistreated at the Monterey County Jail during her pregnancy.

She filed a claim against the county but it’s been rejected. A claim is a precursor to a lawsuit. In California, if someone believes they are hurt by the actions of a particular city or county they need to file a claim before filing a lawsuit. The claim gives the government time to investigate it, then decides if it can be resolved or rejected. In this case the claim was rejected.

Huntsman and co-defendant Gonzalo Curiel are accused of abusing and killing six-year-old Shaun and three-year-old Delylah Tara, then dumping their bodies in a plastic bin that was later found at a Redding storage facility. They’re also accused of abusing the children’s older sister.

“I was treated different because the deputies’ personal feelings reguarding [sic] my criminal charges, and my rights overlooked,” said Huntsman wrote in the 12-page civil complaint.

“The most I can comment about the claim, as far as substance of the claim is that it speaks to her allegations of care and treatment while she’s in the jail,” said Monterey County Counsel Charles McKee.

Huntsman also wrote she felt she wasn’t given quick access to doctors or social workers, and in fact one point wrote she felt there was a conspiracy against her. She also voiced concerns about giving birth.

“I also had scheduled to have a C-section instead of natural birth because I was afraid for the safety of myself and my child if I was to go into labor in isolation due to the fact that I had no way to notify a deputy if and when I would go into labor,” Huntsman said.

Huntsman said post-surgery, she was handcuffed to a hospital bed, even though she was numb from the chest down. She also said she wasn’t allowed to hold or breastfeed her newborn.

“We’ve evaluated it, evaluated the merits of the claim and determined that we do not believe the claim has merit and therefore is not something that we would be in a position to resolve at this time,” said McKee.

Regardless of the rejection, Huntsman could still file a lawsuit. The ball is back in Huntsman’s court. KION reached out to her attorney to find out more. William Scott Erdbacher said he wasn’t in a position to comment at this time.

Huntsman’s murder trial is scheduled to begin in March.