Harris County Jail detention officer Eric Morales was indicted in 2023 on a felony manslaughter charge in the February 2021 in-custody death of 23-year-old Jaquaree Simmons:contentReference[oaicite:62]{index=62}. Court records allege Morales, a 6’5” 260-pound jailer, beat the 5’4” Simmons—kneeing him in the head, slamming him into a door, and dropping him on his head—causing fatal injuries:contentReference[oaicite:63]{index=63}. Morales was fired along with 10 other staff after the incident, and his indictment marked the first time a Harris County jailer faced criminal charges for an inmate’s death:contentReference[oaicite:64]{index=64}:contentReference[oaicite:65]{index=65}.
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