El Paso Detainee Dies After Jail Assault

The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office, in El Paso, Texas, filed a report regarding the custodial death of Jesus Torres. Mr. Torres was 57 years old at the time of his death. We provide in this post information we obtained from that report, and we make no allegation of any wrongdoing against anyone.

The summary portion of the report reads in its entirety:

“Location:

El Paso County Jail Annex (EPCJA)

12501 E. Montana El Paso, TX 79938

Name of Inmate:

Jesus Torres (DOB:XX/XX/1966)

SS# XXX-XX-XXXX

On 11/27/2023 at approximately 0753 hours, officers were conducting a wellness check of inmate Torres after being told that he was a victim of an assault. in Cell 1018 Officers discovered Torres laying on his cell bunk covered with a blanket Torrez was unresponsive and had a plastic bag tied around his head. Medical staff responded to provide medical aid. However, Torres did not show any signs of life. The case has been deemed a Homicide and the investigation is ongoing.”

Unfortunately, the report does not mention how often inmates were being observed, or if they were being observed, before the incident.

The 14^th Amendment to the United States Constitution requires Texas jails to protect inmates from themselves and others. If jailers violate a person’s constitutional rights, and that person dies as a result, then certain surviving family members may be able to file a federal constitutional rights lawsuit. Our firm is litigating a number of such cases.

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.