Travis County, Texas Jail Inmate Dies in Custody

The Travis County Sheriff’s Department filed a custodial death report regarding the death of Rene Martinez. Mr. Martinez was only 44 years old at the time of his death. Information in this post was obtained from that report, and we make no allegations of any wrongdoing against anyone.

The report was filed with the Attorney General of Texas and indicates that Mr. Martinez was arrested on February 18, 2020 at 7:34 p.m. The report further indicates that Mr. Martinez passed away at 11:49 p.m. on February 19, 2020. The summary portion of the report is relatively short. It reads, “Inmate was found unresponsive in his cell. Medical attention was provided (CPR and AED) Fire and EMS arrived on scene and provided medical care. Inmate was pronounced deceased approximately one hour after being found unresponsive.”

As a general matter, and not necessarily involving what happened to Mr. Martinez, the United States Constitution guarantees the right of pre-trial detainees to receive reasonable medical care. If jailers in Texas fail to provide reasonable medical care to an inmate, jailers may be liable for any damages and/or death that results. Likewise, Texas cities and counties must have in place policies, practices, and/or customs which facilitate providing constitutional care.

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.