Three Harris County Jail Inmates Die Within 48-Hour Span

Three people died in the Harris County Jail over a 48-hour span, bringing the 2025 in-custody death toll to 10, according to officials. The deceased include 43-year-old Alexander Winstel, who had a pre-existing life-threatening condition and died at St. Joseph Hospital after a medical emergency in the jail. He had been detained for four days on a charge of unauthorized use of a vehicle. Phillip Brummett, 68, died Sunday night at Ben Taub Hospital after being hospitalized since June 19, when he also experienced a jail-based medical emergency. He had been booked on multiple child sexual abuse charges. On Monday, 35-year-old Ronald Pate died after suffering a medical emergency in custody; he had been held for 13 days on a drug possession charge.

The Harris County Sheriff’s Office reported Winstel’s death publicly by Tuesday afternoon. The other two deaths became public later, only after Houston Public Media inquired. All three deaths were reported to the Texas Commission on Jail Standards and are now under investigation by Houston Police and the sheriff’s internal affairs unit to determine whether policies were followed.

These incidents follow recent in-custody deaths, including a 26-year-old who allegedly died after smoking an unknown substance and a 52-year-old with a medical condition. Harris County Jail had 10 deaths in 2024, down from 19 in 2023 and 27 in 2022 — the highest in nearly 20 years, according to the Texas Justice Initiative.

Krish Gundu, executive director of the Texas Jail Project, denounced the ongoing pattern, stating, “After being in continuous non-compliance for over three years, Harris County Jail continues to be an engine of death, disease and violence.” Gundu criticized the county’s lack of a concrete plan to address the crisis beyond expanding the jail or creating a mental health facility. She added, “The bricks and walls are not killing people. It’s the punitive and inhumane culture that has turned pretrial detention into a death sentence for so many.”

The Texas Commission on Jail Standards has issued 149 notices of noncompliance to Harris County since 2023 and referred the jail to the state Attorney General’s office, which may seek an injunction based on repeated violations.

Link: Houston Public Media

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