Jacoby Pillow
Jacoby Pillow, 31, died on January 3, 2023, while held at the Harris County Jail in Houston, Texas. His sister, Octavia Wagner, has spoken of him as someone's brother, son and father, and his family has continued to speak publicly about his death. The sheriff's office said jail staff restrained him with force after an altercation, and that medical staff examined him and returned him to his cell before he was found unresponsive there. He was taken to a nearby hospital and pronounced dead at 9:12 a.m. His family alleges that jail guards beat him to death, and his attorney says he died of compression asphyxia from being restrained, while the Houston Police Department, the sheriff's office and the FBI are reviewing the death and the family has asked for autopsy results.
Cause of death, as reported: Killed by staff (disputed; neglect alleged). The Sheriff's Office says staff restrained Jacoby Pillow after an altercation and he was found unresponsive later, while his family's attorney says he died of compression asphyxia from being restrained and was beaten by correctional officers, and the FBI is reviewing the death.
Reported by: Harris County Sheriff's Office (the agency that held him); attorney Paul Grinke (family or their lawyers); Octevia Wagner and her lawyers (family or their lawyers); Ben Crump (family or their lawyers).
News reports (18)
- Harris County Jail death: Inmate in the process of bonding when he was found unresponsive in cell, HCSO says
- Man arrested for misdemeanor dies in Harris County Jail, marking 2023’s first in-custody death
- Fentanyl-related deaths in Harris County Jail spark demand for outside investigation
- Head of Harris County Jail resigns as death toll increases amid overcrowding issues
- Sheriff Ed Gonzalez blames ‘inefficient court system’ for increasing deaths in Harris County Jail
- 13 Investigates: Harris County on track to exceed inmate death after 4 inmates die in the month of January
- Harris County Jail deaths: Families of inmates in Austin for Texas Commission on Jail Standards Meeting
- FBI agrees to review two deaths at Harris County Jail as families demand federal investigation
- FBI announces investigations into deaths at Harris County Jail
- Ben Crump to DOJ: investigate Harris Co jails
- Family of Harris Co. Jail inmate files federal civil rights lawsuit
- FBI announces investigation into Harris County jail system after 32 inmates die - ABC News
- The FBI is investigating deaths in the Harris County Jail
- Are deaths in the Harris County Jail isolated incidents or part of a troubling trend?
- Civil rights activists hold news conference after 2 Harris County Jail inmates died last week
- “A place of torment”: 22 families, former inmates sue Harris County over jail conditions
- County officials have created a ‘culture of death’ inside the Harris County Jail, lawsuit alleges
- Custodial death report 23-19-CJ