FBI to review 2 deaths that occurred inside Harris County Jail after sheriff request

FBI investigating recent deaths at Harris County jail

The FBI has agreed to review to deaths that happen inside the Harris County jail after Sheriff Ed Gonzalez says he requested federal authorities to investigate in an effort to be transparent with the public.

HARRIS COUNTY, Texas - The FBI has agreed to review two deaths that occurred in the Harris County Jail, according to Sheriff Ed Gonzalez who requested the review.

In a release, Gonzalez said, "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. 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."

According to the release, the FBI will specifically be reviewing the deaths of Jaquaree Simmons in February 2021 and Jacoby Pillow in January 2023.

Authorities said an internal Harris County Sheriff's Office investigation into Simmons' death uncovered multiple policy violations by staff that resulted in Gonzalez' decision to terminate 11 employees and suspend six others in May 2021.

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The Houston Police Department conducted a criminal investigation into Simmon's death, which later led to the recent indictment of former detention officer Eric Morales on manslaughter charges.

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Officials said Jacoby Pillow was in the process of being released from jail on bond on January 3 where he was accused of assaulting a detention officer. Jail staff used force to restrain Pillow in an effort to regain control of him.

Authorities stated that Pillow was evaluated by medical staff and then returned to a cell. He was later found unresponsive in his cell and was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Pillow's cause of death is still pending with the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences. His death is also being investigated by the Houston Police Department, the release stated.

In a statement on social media, the FBI said, "The FBI has open investigations into allegations of federal civil rights violations surrounding the deaths of Jaquaree Simmons and Jacoby Pillow in the Harris County Jail. 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."

The Pillow family has retained civil rights attorney Ben Crump. During a news conference Monday, Crump made a formal request to the U.S. Dept. of Justice to launch an investigation into the Harris County Jail. He also requested local officials release surveillance video surrounding the inmates' deaths.

According to Crump, there were a record 28 deaths at the jail in 2022, and so far in 2023, there have been four deaths.

"We are not going to continue to let these detainees who are disproportionately black and brown detainees, be killed at the very hands of the people who swore an oath to protect and serve them and give them their constitutional right to due process. The guards can't be the judge, jury and the executioner," said Crump.