Category: County Jails|Custodial Death|Denton County Sheriff|Suicide

When it was originally announced that 30-year-old Stormye Murphey died in the Denton County, Texas, Jail, details of her death were excluded. News has since been released that the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled Murphey’s death a suicide with the cause being asphyxia by hanging.

Murphey had been in Denton County Jail for less than three days when a deputy discovered that she was unresponsive in her cell. The Denton County Sheriff’s office (DCSO) records show that she was admitted to jail on Sunday, August 13, 2017, after first being transported to Medical City Denton as a result of a “medical episode.” The DSCO did not provide any details regarding the brief hospital stay. Within hours, Murphey was released and placed in the jail’s medical unit. She did not have a cellmate. The purpose of her being in the medical unit was to have her medical condition monitored, according to Denton County Sheriff Tracy Murphree.

New legislation called the Sandra Bland Act has been put in place which is designed to help prevent jail suicides. The law was named after Sandra Bland, who famously had a video-taped confrontation with a law enforcement officer after being pulled over for not using her blinker. She was arrested for an alleged altercation with the deputy and then was found dead in her cell from hanging three days later. The death was ruled a suicide and became a nationwide rallying cry against racial profiling. The legislation passed in her memory makes sure more help is available for people who are at risk due to suicidal thoughts or other forms of mental illness.

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On Sunday, August 13, 2017, Stormye Murphey, a Caucasian female, was booked into Denton County Jail on a charge of assault causing bodily injury. The next day, she had a an alleged “medical episode” and was transported to Medical City Denton, according to Denton County Sheriff Tracy Murphree. On the same day, 30-year-old Murphey was released from the hospital and booked into one of the medical units in Denton County Jail. She did not have a cellmate. On Tuesday morning, August 15, during an alleged routine cell check at 11:46 a.m., a jailer discovered that Murphey was unresponsive. She was deceased, and initial evidence indicates that suicide may have been the cause. So far, the official cause of death has not been released by the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office. The custodial death is being investigated by the Texas Rangers (with the Texas Department of Public Safety).  The Texas Rangers frequently investigate custodial deaths or deaths at the hands of police officers.

Murphree declined to provide further details on the nature of the medical episode that led to Murphey being transported to a medical facility. He said that their decision to monitor Murphey’s medical condition is basically standard protocol.

Jail suicides have always been a concern for those affected, but the problem has been increasingly in the spotlight ever since the death of Sandra Bland in Waller County Jail in July 2015. Her encounter with a police officer that led to her incarceration and suicide three days later has been associated with growing racial tensions across the nation. Since then, there seems to be more than the usual number of ongoing investigations, changes in legislation, disciplinary actions, and lawsuits related to jail suicides in Texas.  People have the right to reasonable medical care and to be watched, if they have suicidal tendencies, under the United States Constitution.

As with every post on this website, we are only providing information in this post and do not make any allegation or assertion that anyone acted inappropriately or engaged in misconduct.

–Guest Contributor