Attorneys representing Jerry Lawler and the estate of his son Brian "Christopher" Lawler have moved forward with filing subpoenas demanding the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and The Hardeman County Sheriff's Office provide them with information on the ongoing investigation into Brian Lawler's death in July 2018. The investigation was opened the same day Lawler passed away after being taken off life support after he allegedly hung himself while incarcerated in Bolivar, TN.
“We were tired of waiting. This family has waited for over six months for the Hardeman County Sheriff Department to provide them with detailed explanation and the documentation as to what happened to their son and we decided to take the into our own hands,” Attorney Jeff Rosenblum told Memphis ABC affiliate channel 24.
It should be noted that PWInsider.com has followed up with TBI numerous times over the last six months requesting updates on the investigation and had been told the investigation was still active. The most recent response to various news sources, on 1/8 from TBI's Susan Nilson stated, "The investigation remains open and ongoing while we await the full autopsy results."
In August 2018, Jerry Lawler explained why he did not believe his son killed himself in an interview with WMC-TV, explaining that his family was told that Brian hung himself with his shoelaces, but photos taken of Brian at the hospital show marks on the sides of his neck but not the front of his throat. Lawler explained that the area that did not feature any marks would be the size of his son’s hand, which leads him to believe Brian was trying to use his hand to try and “keep the pressure” off his throat.
"We've received literally countless calls, text messages from people, actual eyewitnesses, that were in the jail and saw things that happened on the actual day that Brian died that now has opened up a new can of worms," Lawler told WMC-TV. "It just doesn't seem like it was suicide."
Lawler said the same day his son allegedly took his life, they had spoken that morning via the telephone at 11 AM and Brian “talked perfectly normal, perfectly rational." Later, Lawler's fiancée received a phone call around 2 PM informing them Brian had been in a fight with another inmate, even though he was supposed to have been kept away from other prisoners. Lawler stated that his son had requested medical attention as he was bleeding from the head but “apparently” did not receive it and several hours later, was found dead in his cell. Lawler stated that the Sheriff had previously given him personal assurances that Brian would be OK while incarcerated. Lawler also alleged that twenty security cameras in the County Jail were not operating the day his son died.
While the official, announced cause of Brian Lawler's death is suicide by hanging, Jerry Lawler commented that “doesn't pass the smell test” and promised in 2018 that he was not going to stop pursuing the issue until he had answers. Lawler also stated that Brian's fellow inmates have told him they don't think his death was suicide, and there's still no medical examiner's report.
The TBI and The Hardeman's Sherriff's office must provide information by February 26th.
Brian Christopher Lawler was 46 years old at the time of his passing.