Jail Detainee Dies in Corpus Christi, Texas

The Corpus Christi City Marshal’s Office, in Corpus Christi, Texas, filed a report regarding the custodial death of Joel Landers. Mr. Landers was 61 years old at the time of his death. We provide 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:

“On 11/17/2023 at approximately 2200 hours I, Capt. K. Monroe received a call from Lt. Jorgensen stating that they were trying to wake up (AP) Landers for magistration but (AP) Landers was unresponsive and they called EMS. Lt. Jorgensen stated that (AP) Landers was sleeping the entire time prior to them trying to wake him up for magistration. He stated that when EMS arrived that (AP) Landers was still sleeping (snoring). He stated that EMS checked his vital signs and they were all normal but he was still unresponsive. I told Lt. Jorgensen that I remembered (AP) Landers being brought in at approximately 1400 hours an he was walking and talking but seemed to be highly intoxicated. Lt. Jorgensen stated that (AP) landers had been sleeping the entire time that he had been on shift. At approximately 0000 hours on 11/18/2023, I received another call from Lt. Jorgensen who stated that he had received a call from The charge nurse at Spohn Hospital. Lt. Jorgensen stated that he was told the (AP) Landers had a possible aneurysm in his brain and they were looking for information on any relatives. At approximately 0100 hours I arrived at the CDC and began archieving the video of the entire time the (AP) Landers was at the CDC. I also pulled all records of cell checks that had been done and the report that Lt. Jorgensen had made when he found (AP) Landers unresponsive. I burned a copy of the vidoe onto a disk and added it to all the paperwork so that it could be given to CCPD CID detectives. At Approximately 0330 I made contact with CCPD Lt. Weisenburger who was working on the incident. Lt. Weisenburger stated that Crime scene had been to the hospital and taken pictures of (AP) Landers and there were no apparent injuries that could be seen. I informed Lt. Weisenburger that I had reviewed all the video of the time the (AP) Landers was in the CDC and there was no use of force at all. In the video (AP) Landers is brought in the CDC and searched and asked the medical questions. (AP) Landers appears to be very intoxicated and unsteady on his feet. Staff appears to try to take photos of (AP) Landers but he is unsteady on his feet and is moving around to much to have photos taken. Staff then escorts him to male holding cell #2 and close the door. (AP) Landers appears to have a hard time keeping his shorts up and they fall down several time and he eventually takes them off. (AP) Landers then stands up and is trying to put his shorts on and loses his balance and falls against the toilet and then the back wall of the cell. (AP) Landers does not appear to loses consciousness and then stands up, pulls his shorts up and stands at the cell door for a while. (AP) Landers then lays down on the floor and appears to go to sleep. In the video you can see that cell checks were being done per policy and officers were regularly checking on (AP) Landers who appeared to be sleeping and was snoring. CCPD CID requested that the cell that (AP) Landers was in not be used until they could look at it. The cell was secured and not used. On 11/19/2023 I received a call from CCPD Detective Smith who stated that he had investigated the cell and there was no evidence of anything had happened and that the cell could begin being used again. Detective smith was given the packet and the video for (AP) Landers.”

The report also lists Mr. Landers’ medical cause of death as a “brain aneurysm.”

The 14^th Amendment to the United States Constitution guarantees the right of pre-trial detainees to receive reasonable medical care. If jailers and/or other personnel fail to obtain care for a serious health issue, and a person dies, then certain family members may be able to file a federal jail neglect lawsuit. Our Texas law firm is prosecuting such cases across Texas.

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.