Baller Alert
  • Home
    • News
    • Entertainment
    • The Baller Alert Show
    • Baller Alert Lists
    • Baller Alert Exclusives
    • Let Me Liv
    • Ballerific Music
    • That’s Baller
    • Fashion
    • Metaverse
    • Tech
    • Lifestyle
    • Sports
    • Op-Ed
    • Travel
    • Health
  • EVENTS
  • Videos
  • Shop
  • About
  • Political News
  • en español
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
    • News
    • Entertainment
    • The Baller Alert Show
    • Baller Alert Lists
    • Baller Alert Exclusives
    • Let Me Liv
    • Ballerific Music
    • That’s Baller
    • Fashion
    • Metaverse
    • Tech
    • Lifestyle
    • Sports
    • Op-Ed
    • Travel
    • Health
  • EVENTS
  • Videos
  • Shop
  • About
  • Political News
  • en español
No Result
View All Result
Baller Alert
No Result
View All Result

FBI to Investigate Harris County Jail Following The Deaths of 32 Inmates

by Iesha
February 15, 2023
Reading Time: 3 mins read
0
FBI to Investigate Harris County Jail Following Deaths of 32 Inmates

FBI to Investigate Harris County Jail Following Deaths of 32 Inmates / istock

Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Following the deaths of two inmates at the Harris County Jail in Texas, the sheriff’s office requested that the FBI launch an investigation into claims of federal rights violations.

On Monday, FBI Houston said, “These investigations will be fair, thorough, and impartial and will proceed independently of any state investigations involving incidents at the jail.  To preserve the integrity and capabilities of the investigations, no details of the ongoing process will be publicly shared.”

As a result of an investigation initiated by Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez, the FBI was contacted to investigate the deaths of Jaquaree Simmons in February 2021 and Jacoby Pillow in January 2023.

“Last week, I reached out to James Smith, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Houston Field Office, to have his agents review the circumstances surrounding two men’s deaths in our jail because I want our community to fully trust our commitment to transparency and full accountability,” Gonzalez said in a statement.  “I look forward to learning the FBI’s findings because we must all know the full truth if we are to improve our operation and make the jail as safe as possible for everyone entrusted into our care.”

In addition to the announcement, attorneys Ben Crump and Paul Grinke held a Houston press conference Monday afternoon requesting the Department of Justice to investigate.

“It’s appalling that you would have 32 detainees (die) in the Harris County Jail in a 14-month period,” Crump said during the press conference.  “I mean, nobody would really believe it unless you have these bodies that showed you it was really happening.”

Harris County Jail records indicate that 21 inmates died in custody in 2021, and attorneys report that at least 28 died last year.
According to the press release, there are “at least four” deaths in total in 2023.

On January 1, Pillow, 31, was arrested for trespassing, a misdemeanor.  Early the following morning, he was about to be released from Harris County Jail on a $100 bond when he got into a fight with officers, which led to more charges.  According to the release, Pillow was forcefully restrained, examined, and returned to his cell.

On January 3, Pillow was found unresponsive in his cell and was pronounced dead at the hospital.

“We have credible reason to believe that Jacoby Pillow died from compression asphyxia from being restrained, similar to George Floyd,” Grinke said during Monday’s press conference.  “We have also credible reasons to believe that there will be evidence that he was beaten multiple times by correctional officers.”

The jail stated that his death is currently the subject of a “pending investigation,” even though the family had requested the autopsy report and other details about his death.

In the press conference, Pillow’s younger sister, Ariana Pillow, shared her experience related to the situation as a former Harris County employee.

“Being a former employee in Harris County working for pretrial (services), I’ve literally witnessed correctional staff mistreat detainees because they were in need of insulin for diabetes or other medical issues, and I’ve literally witnessed them being the reason for altercations taking place between them and detainees, and it’s not fair, and it’s not right,” Ariana Pillow stated.

Among those Crump represents are the families of Pillow and Gary and Kevin Smith Jr., an uncle, and nephew who died in jail last month, and Kristan Nicole Smith, who died last May.

According to the custody death report for Simmons, 23, who was arrested and held on February 10, 2021, passed away from blunt-force head trauma on February 17, 2021.

Despite conducting 73 interviews, the sheriff’s office was unable to find any video of Simmons’ fatal altercation on any of the 1,490 jail cameras, according to KMBC.

Court documents say that Eric Morales is the first detention officer to be charged with the death of an incarcerated man in Harris County.  The report alleges that he dropped Simmons’ on the head, kneed him in the head, struck his head against the door, and struck his head against the wall.
According to reports, Simmons’ death prompted an internal investigation by the Harris County Jail, which resulted in the dismissal of 11 detention officers and the suspension of six others in May.  Morales, one of the involved officers, was charged earlier this month with manslaughter.

“The Houston Police Department conducted a separate criminal investigation into the events surrounding Simmons’ death.  The Harris County District Attorney’s Office recently presented the results of the HPD investigation to a grand jury, which issued an indictment against Eric Morales, a former detention officer, alleging he committed the crime of manslaughter.  Morales was among the 11 employees fired as a result of the Sheriff’s Office internal investigation,” the statement said.

Share this:

  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on Mastodon (Opens in new window) Mastodon
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit
  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window) Tumblr
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest

Like this:

Like Loading...

Discover more from Baller Alert

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Related Posts

Ex-NBA Guard Ben McLemore Sentenced to 100 Months for 2021 Oregon Rape
News

Ex-NBA Guard Ben McLemore Sentenced to 100 Months for 2021 Oregon Rape

July 9, 2025

Ben McLemore received a 100‑month sentence in Oregon state prison Wednesday after a Clackamas County jury found him guilty of...

#image_title
News

Ritz Peanut Butter Crackers Recalled Nationwide After Labeling Mix-Up

July 9, 2025

Mondelēz Global LLC has issued a nationwide recall for four sizes of Ritz Peanut Butter Cracker Sandwiches. According to the...

Measles Could Surge to 51 Million Cases in 25 Years if Vaccination Rates Continue to Drop, Study Warns
News

Measles Outbreak Skyrockets — Deadliest Surge Since the Early ’90s

July 9, 2025

The United States is dealing with its worst measles outbreak in over three decades, as 1,288 cases have been confirmed...

Leamsy La Figura Alleges Abuse at Alligator Alcatraz
News

“No Water, Maggot Food, No Sleep”: Leamsy La Figura Details Life Inside Alligator Alcatraz [Video]

July 9, 2025

Cuban reggaeton artist Leamsy La Figura, known off-stage as Leamsy Isquierdo, is making headlines from behind the fences of Florida’s...

Next Post
Marc Anthony and Nadia Ferreira Announce They Are Expecting

Marc Anthony and Wife Nadia Ferreira Announce They Are Expecting First Child Together

Leave a ReplyCancel reply

Baller News

Subscribe To Our Newsletter

* indicates required

Follow Us

Subscribe to Blog

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

© Copyright 2024, Baller Alert Inc. All Rights Reserved

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
    • News
    • Entertainment
    • The Baller Alert Show
    • Baller Alert Lists
    • Baller Alert Exclusives
    • Let Me Liv
    • Ballerific Music
    • That’s Baller
    • Fashion
    • Metaverse
    • Tech
    • Lifestyle
    • Sports
    • Op-Ed
    • Travel
    • Health
  • EVENTS
  • Videos
  • Shop
  • About
  • Political News
  • en español
%d