Torry Lamont Newman was housed in a detox cell after being booked into Smith County Jail in Tyler, Texas, on January 27, 2022. He was discovered in an unresponsive state in his single detox cell at about 5:11 AM on February 18, 2022. A Code Blue was soon called over the radio, and a member of the nursing staff arrived and commenced chest compressions. CPR attempts were continued by EMS a short time later. At 5:56 AM, 45 minutes after he was discovered, life-saving measures were halted.

Carlos Jose Hernandez Dies in Smith County Jail

Carlos Jose Hernandez was only 22 years old when he committed suicide by hanging himself less than a day after being incarcerated in Smith County Jail in Tyler, Texas. The address of the law enforcement facility where the custodial death occurred was 104 South Spring Avenue in Tyler, Texas, 75702. Mr. Hernandez entered the jail on June 11, 2017, at 3:04 AM. According to the custodial death report (CDR), his time of death was June 12, 2017, at 12:20 AM.

The CDR indicates that, per data from intake, Mr. Hernandez did not make suicidal statements or exhibit mental health problems. However, the summary says otherwise. He was placed on suicide watch. Tragically, however, he was discovered hanging from the shower. Mr. Hernandez had fashioned a ligature for that purpose. He was in a single-occupancy side cell with observations every 10 minutes. According to the documentation on face-to-face observation of inmates, all inmate checks had been made at the required time periods.

Learn more in Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 of this ongoing series.

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–Guest Contributor