A 69-year-old man slowly suffocated to death in a rural Colorado jail after his ribs were broken in an altercation with a deputy. He languished in a cell for a week without medical care, according to a lawsuit announced Thursday. Michael Burch's 2023 death was ruled a homicide. Prosecutors declined to bring criminal charges against the deputy who used a Taser on Burch and wrestled with him in a Huerfano County jail cell. In making the decision, District Attorney Henry Solano cited self-defense laws. An autopsy found six of Burch's right ribs had broken and his right lung collapsed. He wasn't taken to a hospital but instead was transferred to another cell where he was found dead seven days later. Michael Burch is pictured holding his grandchild below.