Skip to main content
Cloudy icon
45º

Cause of death revealed for Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee’s former staffer linked to leaked audio scandal

FILE - House Judiciary Crime and Federal Government Surveillance Subcommittee Ranking Member Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, delivers opening statements during a hearing on oversight of the Drug Enforcement Administration, July 27, 2023, on Capitol Hill in Washington. Two days after losing her bid to be Houstons next mayor, longtime U.S. Rep. Jackson Lee announced Monday, Dec. 11, that she will seek a 16th term in Congress in 2024. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough, File) (Stephanie Scarbrough, Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

HOUSTON – Jerome Brooks worked as a staffer for Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee. He died at the age of 36 years old, just outside of Austin.

The news of his passing came after a profanity-laced leaked recording came out involving the former staffer and the congresswoman.

Recommended Videos



Austin police investigated and said the case was not a homicide.

Now, Hill County Forensics has completed Brooks’s autopsy report, indicating he died from a drug overdose and ruled his death as accidental.

RELATED: Sheila Jackson Lee expresses regret after audio leaks of her berating, demeaning staffers

Chief Forensic Pathologist Satish Chundru states on October 29, 2023, Brooks went to a hotel room of a man he met online.

“There, he was observed to drink ethanol and take pills described as ‘ecstasy.’”

Paramedics were called after Brooks grabbed his chest and slumped over. He was given CPR and Naloxone but did not survive.

Forensic Toxicologist Michael Lamb with NMS Labs found Brooks had alcohol, MDMA, methamphetamine, and sildenafil, a drug similar to Viagra, also in his system.

KPRC 2 Investigates reached out to Rep. Jackson Lee about the report, we were told she is traveling. We will provide a comment once it is available.


About the Author
Jason Nguyen headshot

As an Emmy award-winning journalist, Jason strives to serve the community by telling in-depth stories and taking on challenges many pass over. When he’s not working, he’s spending time with his girlfriend Rosie, and dog named Dug.

Loading...