The mysterious death of Sandra Bland: New show delves into life and murky death of activist arrested for refusing to put out a cigarette
28-year-old Sandra Bland was pulled over for a traffic violation by State Trooper Brian Encinia who was fired and charged with perjury for making a false statement
On July 13, 2015, a young African-American woman was found hanging in her jail cell in Waller County, Texas. The woman, 28-year-old Sandra Bland, had been arrested during a traffic stop just three days before her body was discovered in the cell. Her death was subsequently ruled as a suicide but, for the authorities in the state and around the country, Bland's death was the start of something they never would have seen coming.
After the young woman was found dead in her cell, the authorities released dashcam footage of her arrest and the state erupted in protests against her arrest. Disputes arose over the actual cause of death and there were also many allegations of racial violence against her.
