PHOENIX — He was never convicted of any crime, but a family of a Valley man says he died while in the custody of the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office.
Now, Ricci Delk, the man's mother is demanding answers as to how this all happened.
"Nobody's perfect and we do make mistakes, but he didn't deserve to be to die," Ricci told 12News in an exclusive interview.
On the walls of Ricci's home are dozens of postcards sent from her son 41-year-old Adam Delk while he was in custody.
“I love you mom, to the moon,” Ricci read looking through the postcards.
Some of the dozens displayed were also written to Delk's three young children.
“He had three sons that he adored," Ricci said. "He would have died for those kids.”
Delk was arrested back in October 2021, charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, according to online court records.
Delk was driving in Glendale when he was hit by another car, his mom said. The driver took off and Delk followed him to his home. That's when the situation escalated.
"He got a knife and he went to my son's car," Ricci said.
Cell phone video provided to 12News by Delk's attorney shows the inside of his car that day. While it doesn't show what's happening outside the car, you can hear Delk say "Don't make me shoot you" before firing a single shot at the other driver.
"It was self-defense, the guy came at him with a knife," Ricci said. "So what are you supposed to do?"
The driver was injured but survived their injuries, according to police. Delk is then seen driving away from the scene. He was later arrested and charged.
"The whole situation was not right," Ricci said.
Delk was never convicted of the crime, but spent nearly two years behind bars at the MCSO 4th avenue jail because Ricci says his bond was set too high to pay. Calling his mom multiple times a day to help him through it.
“He was so sad and so lonely and so depressed," Delk said.
Ricci started working 16-hour shifts and took on other jobs trying to get enough money to hire another attorney to help in the case.
In the end, it worked. The attorney they hired was able to reduce Delk's bond significantly. Court documents show on February 16th, 2023 a judge reduced the bond to $50,000. Finally, she could afford to get her son out.
“We were all freaking out," Ricci said. "We were so happy.”
Remembering that day in court Delk looked excited and blew her a kiss. Ricci began working on getting the money together knowing her son could soon be home before his trial started a few weeks later.
“We were four to six hours from getting him out,” Ricci said.
However, a few hours later after the court adjourned, Ricci got a call from the sheriff's office telling her that Delk was dead.
“The heartbreak is immeasurable," she said. "It's, it's the saddest day of my life. I mean, when he died part of me died too.”
12News reached out to MCSO. A spokesperson says Delk's death is still under investigation.
On the day Delk died, deputies received a call for medical assistance to one of the cells around 11:00 a.m.
They provided first aid to Delk and transported him to a nearby hospital where Delk was pronounced dead, leading to several questions Ricci is demanding answers to.
"I don't know anything other than my son passed away," Delk said.
Investigators have not revealed Delk's cause of death and an autopsy has not been released to the public at this time. Still, Ricci says she doesn't plan on stopping any time soon in getting the answers she wants about her son's death.
"I'm going to fight forever until I die,” she said.
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