A 28-year old woman held at the Chittenden County Regional Correction Facility died from complications stemming a MRSA infection, according to her death certificate.
Alexis Poulin, who’d been incarcerated since December 2022, was transferred from prison to the University of Vermont Medical Center in mid-January after experiencing a “medical event,” state police said in a press release last month. Her condition worsened and she died a few days later at the hospital.
The medical examiner’s office determined Poulin’s cause of death was a cardiac arrest following air entering her chest cavity due to a separate condition that was caused by “necrotizing MRSA pneumonia."
MRSA is a type of bacteria that’s resistant to antibiotics and can lead to serious health problems, including pneumonia and sepsis, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. MRSA is spread through skin-to-skin contact, meaning people in crowded places, like prisons, can be at higher risk.
There were no other documented MRSA infections at Chittenden County Regional Correction Facility around the time Poulin’s case was detected, said Haley Sommer, a spokesperson for the Department of Corrections.
Sommer said the department couldn’t release any more details about Poulin’s medical situation, citing federal privacy laws.
Vermont State Police, the Department of Corrections and the Defender General’s Prisoner’s Rights Office are all reviewing Poulin’s death, which is standard when an incarcerated person dies.
Defender General Matt Valerio said his office is just beginning its review of the incident, which will likely take months.
Poulin was serving seven to 15 years in prison, all suspended except for five years, after she pleaded guilty to aggravated assault. She’d initially been charged with attempted second degree murder for allegedly stabbing a man at a boat launch in St. Albans in 2020, according to court records.
Poulin had been out of prison prior to pleading guilty and had worked during that time, including starting a cleaning business with her mom. She was also getting therapy and substance abuse treatment, her public defender wrote in court filings.
Poulin, who had two children, had “improved herself and was looking forward to happiness,” her family wrote in her obituary.
