David Perez Dies in Harris County, Texas Jail

The Harris County Sheriff’s Department filed a custodial death report with the Attorney General of Texas about the death of David Perez.  Mr. Perez was only 29 years old at the time of his death.  We provide in this post information obtained from thar report, and we make no allegation of any wrongdoing against anyone regarding Mr. Perez’s death.

The report indicates that Mr. Perez was arrested on September 9, 2020, and passed away at 2:45 p.m. on September 15, 2020.  The Harris County Sheriff’s Department, in Houston, Texas, failed to provide any information in response to the following fields in the custodial death report: death code, manner of death description, custody code, code of charges, intoxicated, and medical treatment description.  Amazingly, the Harris County Sheriff’s Department answered “Unknown” in response to the following fields: make suicidal statements, medical treatment, exhibit any mental health problems, and exhibit any medical problems. 

The summary in the report reads in its entirety:

“On September 9, 2020, the decedent was arrested for Violation of a Protective Order and was booked into the Harris County Jail. On September 13, 2020, at approximately 11:27 p.m., the decedent was discovered unresponsive in his single-cell and CPR was started. The decedent was transported to the clinic with ongoing CPR, and the Houston Fire Department was called. Houston Fire Department paramedics transported the decedent to St. Joseph Hospital on September 14, 2020. At approximately 4:36 p.m., a doctor declared the decedent was brain-dead. On September 15, 2020, Neurologist Murphy pronounced death as the decedent was an organ donor.”

It is unclear from the report as to the cause of Mr. Perez’s death.  Jail inmates in Texas are entitled, pursuant to the United States Constitution, to receive reasonable medical care and mental health care.  If a jail fails to provide such care, and its policy, practice, and/or custom results in the death of an inmate, then certain surviving family members may be able to bring a lawsuit.

Written By: Dean Malone

Dean Malone

Dean Malone is the founder of Law Offices of Dean Malone, P.C., a jail neglect civil rights law firm. Mr. Malone earned his bachelor's degree at the University of Texas at Dallas, graduating summa cum laude with a 4.0 GPA, and from Baylor University School of Law with a general civil litigation concentration. Mr. Malone served in several staff positions for the Baylor Law Review, including executive editor. Mr. Malone is an experienced trial lawyer, trying a number of cases to jury verdict and also handling arbitrations through final hearing. He heads the jail neglect section of his law firm, in which lawyers litigate cases involving serious injury and death resulting from jail neglect and abuse. Lawyers frequently refer cases to Mr. Malone due to his focus on this very complicated civil rights practice area.