HOUSTON – A former Harris County Jail detention officer was indicted Thursday and charged in connection to the death of an inmate from 2021, which is the first time charges have been filed for an in-custody death at the jail, according to the Harris County District Attorney’s Office.
Eric Niles Morales, 28, of Houston, has been charged with felony manslaughter in the death of Jaquaree Simmons, a 23-year-old Houston man who was found unconscious in his cell during Winter Storm Uri on Feb. 17, 2021. Morales’ bond was set at $100,000 in court Monday night.
A Harris County medical examiner ruled that Simmons died of blunt-force trauma to his head, prosecutors said.
Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez fired 11 detention officers and suspended six others in the wake of the investigation. Morales is the only one charged in the death.
Investigators said Simmons was arrested and booked into the jail on Feb. 10, 2021, on a charge of felon in possession of a weapon. Six days later, investigators said, Simmons used his clothes to clog his cell toilet, which caused it to overflow and flood his cell. Detention officers responded to Simmons’ cell to clean up the mess, which led to a physical confrontation between Simmons and detention officers.
Simmons was then left in the cell without clothing, which sheriff’s officials said is a violation of jail policy, according to prosecutors.
When detention officers returned to the cell later that night, Simmons reportedly threw his meal tray at an officer and “charged at him,” according to the sheriff’s office. The officer then punched Simmons in the face and called for assistance to remove Simmons for a medical evaluation.
Detention officers again used force in handcuffing and removing Simmons from the cell. It was in that confrontation that Simmons received “multiple blows to his head,” according to the sheriff’s office. Simmons received a medical evaluation and was later returned to his cell, where he was left unmonitored because of a power outage related to the winter storm and the failure of detention officers to conduct visual checks as required.
Simmons was found unresponsive and lying on his cell floor the next day and later pronounced dead at a local hospital.
The indictment charges state that the detention officer assaulted Simmons by kneeing him in the head, striking his head against a door and dropping him on his head, resulting in his death, according to the DA.
“Regardless of why they are in the jail, inmates should be safe from unlawful attacks by the very people who are sworn to protect them and keep them secure,” said Assistant District Attorney Kimberly Clark, of the Harris County District Attorney’s Office Civil Rights Division. “Harris County will prosecute those who break the law inside the jail, regardless of which side of the bars they are on.”
The Harris County Sheriff’s Office released the following statement regarding the incident:
“Nearly two years have passed since Jaquaree Simmons died from injuries he suffered while in the Harris County Jail. The Harris County Sheriff’s Office immediately conducted a thorough internal investigation that revealed significant policy violations. Based on these findings, Sheriff Ed Gonzalez accepted his Administrative Disciplinary Committee’s recommendation to terminate 11 employees and suspend 6 other employees in May 2021, and publicly expressed his sympathy to Simmons’ family for the loss of their loved one.
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.
In June 2021, the Sheriff’s Office implemented Active Bystandership for Law Enforcement (ABLE) and Integrating Communication and Tactics (ICAT) into the training program for all detention officers. So far, 1,164 detention officers have completed the training.”
The attorney for Simmons’ family released the following statement Tuesday:
“Our office is relieved to see criminal charges moving forward against Eric Morales. Now is the time for Harris County Prosecutors to meet with the Simmon’s family and ensure a vigorous prosecution of their loved one’s death. DA Ogg has demonstrated a commitment to being transparent and available to victim’s families in ‘state violence’ cases. The Simmons family deserves those answers now. We need greater accountability and transparency to prevent state sanctioned violence in our criminal justice system.”
- Lee Merritt, Atty for Simmons Family