Rickey Paul Smith Commits Suicide in Moore County, Texas Jail
The Moore County Sheriff’s Office, in Dumas, Texas, filed a custodial death report with the Attorney General of Texas regarding the death of Rickey Paul Smith. Mr. Smith was 65 years old at the time of his death. We provide in this post information obtained from that report, and we make no allegation of any wrongdoing against anyone.
The custodial death report indicates that Mr. Smith was originally incarcerated at 3:03 a.m. on July 25, 2021. It indicates that he died the following day – July 26, 2021 at 5:48 p.m. The summary portion of the report reads in its entirety:
“On 07/26/2021, at approximately 5:20 PM, A Moore County Sheriff’s Office Correction Officer found Rickey Smith hanging with a strap by his neck. The strap was connected to a half wall bathroom partition located in his cell. Smith had a soft cast on his left lower leg from an injury he had received prior to being booked into the jail. Smith was found hanging from the bathroom partition half wall with a strap from the soft cast. Smith was being housed in a holding cell alone since he was booked in the jail on 07/25/2021, at approximately 3:03 AM. CPR and lifesaving measures were used to attempt to resuscitate Smith by jail staff and Moore County Hospital District Emergency Medical Services for over twenty-eight minutes but were unsuccessful. The Texas Rangers were called to conduct the investigation.”
Our Texas constitutional rights law firm continues to see an unfortunately significant number of suicides in Texas County jails, and we are handing such cases. It is important that suicidal individuals be appropriately monitored, and that items with which they could commit suicide be removed from their cells. In fact, the United States Constitution guarantees the right of pre-trial detainees to receive reasonable mental health care and to be protected from self-harm tendencies. If a jail and/or jailers violate the Constitution, and a person dies as a result, then certain surviving family members might have claims. In Texas, those family members are referred to as “wrongful death beneficiaries.” Texas wrongful death beneficiaries are the spouse, children, and parents of a person who passes away. Such cases are filed pursuant to federal law, and usually decided by federal courts.
Dean Malone
Dean Malone