Thirty-two-year-old Gabriel Trevino died at Nueces County Jail in Corpus Christi, Texas at about 1:14 a.m. on Tuesday, December 5, 2017. Monica Rios, Nueces County Sheriff’s Office Captain, confirmed the custodial death. There were no signs of trauma, and the prisoner’s cause of death is unknown, according to Investigator Heraldo Pena. Nueces County Sheriff’s Office assistant chief deputy Daniel Perez said Trevino has been at the jail since October 17, 2017. The sheriff’s office also said that an investigation into Trevino’s death is being conducted.
The Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS) always conducts an investigation of a Texas jail after there has been a custodial death. Jail staff is required to inform TCJS within 24 hours anytime a jail death has occurred. TCJS is also to receive a copy of the conclusion of the related autopsy within 10 days of its completion
When TCJS conducts jail inspections, there is an investigation to determine whether required safety measures designed to prevent custodial deaths are being followed. For example, in a Jail Inspection Report dated October 30, 2017, investigators allegedly found that El Paso County Jail in El Paso, Texas, failed to meet a minimum jail standard designed to prevent custodial deaths. The minimum standard allegedly violated was that prisoners who are known to be potentially suicidal, assaultive, mentally ill, or who have demonstrated bizarre behavior are to be checked with a face-to-face observation every 30 minutes. Video and logs at the El Paso County Jail allegedly show that the 30-minute time frame for observations was exceeded by as few as 2 minutes and as many as 11 hours 7 minutes.
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