By Jason Renard Walker, NABPP Minister of Labor

Prison investigators have labeled the death of a Clements Unit prisoner, a homicide.

A Hispanic prisoner was found dead in the 3 building close custody wings, A-pod, cell 72 on the morning of April 13, 2020. Making it the first reported Clements Unit murder of the year.

Unverified accounts from witnesses state that the dead man’s cellmate flagged staff to the body, after being in the cell with it for several days. If this is so; the body managed to slip past the eyes of nurses, who would have brought the deceased his meds; shift supervisors, who are supposed to make sure all prisoners are alive; guards who fed the cell, did security checks and conducted bed book counts – meaning each prisoner must come to their cell door and present their picture ID to the guards.

Prior to the discovery, officer Brow and his co-worker had already completed and turned in the bed book count and were finishing inmates’ showers. The body remained in its death bed until state police, investigators and the coroners office removed it, wrapped in a sheet, around 4:20pm. From my cell, I clearly saw them exiting the cell.

To thwart any possible liability for the Hispanic prisoners death, 3 bldg shift Sergeant Tesfaw, immediately went from cell-to-cell to do a staged security check. Before this, Tesfaw sat at the Sergeant’s desk his entire work week, falsely documenting that he’s did his required pod walk through. Just as other 3 bldg supervisors Crystal Turner, Sgt. Rust and Sgt. Rodriguez have a history of doing. 

A lack of adequate security, staffs failure to do routine cell inspections, and to truthfully conduct bed book counts is partially responsible for the deaths and injuries of a wealth of close custody prisoners in the last two years. 

Despite the January 2016 death of Alton Rogers, a former Clements Unit prisoner found in his cell covered in bed sores and malnourished; protocols that actually help reduce the number of assaults and deaths in close custodies remain non-existent.

Upon Rogers discovery an investigation revealed that he’d been brain dead for over a week. His cellmate, Joe Greggs ate his meals and used Rogers’ ID card to purchase goodies off the prison commissary.

Amarillo attorney Jesse Quackenbush filed suit in the matter naming former Clements Unit Warden Barry Martin, Major Rowdy Boggs, and over 30 other guards and nurses as defendants.

Jason Renard Walker #1532092

Clements Unit

9601 Spur 591

Amarillo, TX 79107