On March 5, 2024, at 6:02 p.m., Tarrant County Detention Officers discovered an inmate who had hanged himself in his jail cell. Immediate life-saving measures were initiated after cutting him down. He was then transported to John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth, where he was placed on life support. On March 7, the inmate was pronounced deceased.
The Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office provided a timeline of the inmate’s time in custody leading up to his death. He was arrested by the Fort Worth Police Department on November 21, 2023, on charges of Evading Arrest, Possession of a Controlled Substance, and Tampering with or Fabricating Evidence.
While housed at the Tarrant County Jail, the inmate had access to and was in contact with Tarrant County MHMR (Mental Health Mental Retardation) services. Routine checks on general population inmates occur every 40 minutes at the jail. The last check was conducted at 5:37 p.m. on March 5th. Security camera footage from the pod area where the inmate was housed showed him opening his cell door at 5:52 p.m. and handing something to another inmate. He was found hanging in his cell 10 minutes later at 6:02 p.m.
Preliminary investigations indicate that the inmate had planned the timing of his self-harm between the 40-minute checks.
The Tarrant County Medical Examiner will release the inmate’s name and cause of death. All in-custody deaths undergo review and investigation by various agencies including Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office jail staff, the TCSO Criminal Investigations Division, an external law enforcement agency, JPS Medical Staff, The Texas Commission on Jail Standards, the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office, and the Texas Attorney General’s Office.
