By Jason Renard Walker

The sudden Death of Texas prisoner, Jackie Dewayne Wiley, raised many questions, provided few answers and became a financial burden to loved ones he left behind.

At approximately 4:55pm on May 25 2024, an unresponsive Wiley laid strewn on the Hutchins unit dormitory floor as, according to witnesses, TDCJ staff provided sub par life saving measures, before placing his body on a gurney and hauling it to the infirmary. He was pronounced dead at 5:37pm.

Wiley’s wife, Chrystal Dawn Stanley, did what little research she could to find out what happened, as she’d just spoken to Wiley thirty minutes before he was found unresponsive. But the Office of Inspectors General kept details tightknit. Only publishing that he died from a heart attack, which was before the autopsy report was released.

A Facebook group in support of Hutchins unit prisoners gave Stanley some of the answers she needed, or so she thought. A post by Debra Gilliam Stewart surmised that Wiley overdosed on drugs. Several other unverified posts suggested Wiley was one of three Hutchins unit prisoners that died from overdoses that day.

After more research, Stanley found and contacted the son of Stewart and another prisoner, who supposedly witnessed Wiley’s death. Stewart’s son replied back, verified information in the Facebook posts, stated he performed CPR on Wiley while the assistant warden negligently watched and claimed he couldn’t reveal what actually happened until he made parole and met her face to face, as he feared retaliation from staff and other prisoners.

It was soon discovered that Wiley was the only Hutchins unit prisoner that died that month and the prisoners she’d reached out to for help had told her self serving lies. After forking over $800 to view Wiley before having him cremated to keep the ashes, Stanley took pictures of his body, face and hands.

Upon viewing the photos at home she noticed red marks on his head and bruising on his torso that was consistent with boot prints. Stanley says she was given several reasons why she couldn’t view the dormitory surveillance camera, obtain the autopsy report and learn the official cause of death.

The Southwestern Institute of Forensic Science in Dallas, she says, won’t announce an official cause of death or give her access to the autopsy report until a toxicologist tests the body and write their summary on the facts and findings, which she’s been waiting over two months for. The Office of Inspectors General only gave useless information under the notion that Wiley’s death is being criminally investigated as a homicide.( see OIG case#240001042)

Her attempt to obtain his medical records from TDCJ hit a brick wall when they advised it would cost over $300 to get. Civil rights attorney, Brian McGiverin, who she reached for help requested a large sum up front, with monthly payments to assist her with a civil suit.

So essentially, just for Stanley to get justice, closure and answers to what happened to her husband is more costly than if she was to let the matter go. Situations such as this tend to happen many times a year.

In most, the family of the deceased get so frustrated from getting the run around that they never learn or discover that their loved one was murdered instead of died from natural causes. This is why it is so important for the public to know when deaths such as this one occur in the confines of TDCJ.

They do have a knack for lying to prisoners loved ones so that facing wrongful death suits are more unlikely. If any readers out there know of a civil rights group or attorney that can help her find out what happened to Wiley and pursue the matter accordingly, she can be reached on Facebook.

In Stanley’s case, a lawsuit is secondary, she just wants to know what happened to her husband as he was sentenced to four years in prison, not death.

Jason Renard Walker 1532092

Powledge Unit 

P.O. Box 660400 

Dallas, TX 75266