2 correctional deputies charged in inmate death post bail
SAN JOSE, Calif. - Two of three correctional deputies charged in the death of an inmate at the Santa Clara County Main Jail in San Jose have posted bail, a Superior Court spokesman said today.
Jereh Lubrin, 28, and Rafael Rodriguez, 27, posted $1.5 million bail each last week and are scheduled to return to court for a plea hearing on Oct. 13, court spokesman Joe Macaluso said.
A third deputy, Matthew Farris, 27, is set to appear in court on Tuesday afternoon for a property bail hearing, Macaluso said.
The deputies have been charged with murder in the death of Michael James Tyree and assault under the color of authority on Juan Villa, at the jail's sixth floor last month, prosecutors said.
A bail hearing scheduled today for Rodriguez and Farris was vacated, according to Macaluso.
Farris remains in custody at Santa Rita Jail in Dublin, according to Alameda County jail records.
On Aug. 26 around 10:45 p.m., the deputies allegedly assaulted Villa due to a dispute he had with another inmate, according to a statement of facts filed in court by sheriff's Sgt. Marc Carrasco.
Lubrin and Farris then entered Tyree's cell while Rodriguez stood by the door, Carrasco said.
Tyree was heard yelling and there were sounds of blows to a body from the cell, Carrasco said.
Tyree, a mentally ill inmate, was pronounced dead around 12:30 a.m. on Aug. 27, according to Carrasco.
An autopsy report showed Tyree died from multiple blunt force injuries and internal bleeding, according to the Santa Clara County medical examiner's office.
The deputies were placed on administrative leave on Aug. 27 and were arrested a week later, sheriff's officials said.
Bail was set at $1.5 million for each deputy earlier this month.
Prosecutors had filed a motion against bail alleging the deputies used force on other inmates in the past that was backed by jail employee accounts and text messages.
Calls for comment from the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office and the defendants' respective attorneys were not immediately returned today.