Questions are being raised about the conditions inside the Harris County Jail following an inmate's alleged murder of his cellmate. Chad Maydwell, aged 33, is facing charges for the death of Michael Griego, who was found unresponsive in their cell in November 2022, as reported by CW39.
According to details released by ABC13, Griego had visible head trauma when discovered in the cell he shared in the jail's mental health unit with Maydwell, who was awaiting trial for the alleged murder of his grandmother. Dying as a result of blunt force head trauma, Griego's death was ruled a homicide. Maydwell was charged this week, accused of attacking Griego over a dispute concerning the top bunk.
Investigators found a confession to the killing during a jail call Maydwell made to his parents. "The defendant himself put him there at the scene and confessed to his parents that he indeed was the person that caused these injuries," Andrew Figliuzzi, Chief of the Harris County District Attorney's Office Mental Health Division, told ABC13.
In an already overcrowded system, concerns are being raised about insufficient support for inmates with mental health issues. Griego's family highlighted that he had been assaulted several times prior, with his concerns reportedly going unaddressed. They also questioned the decision to place Griego in a cell with Maydwell, who was awaiting competency restoration after being declared incompetent to stand trial for a murder charge. Figliuzzi highlighted the need for state legislature action, saying, "I can say that we have literally hundreds of defendants across the state of Texas waiting in county jails to be sent to the mental hospitals for treatment, and we don't have enough beds," in his statements to ABC13.
As illuminated by the record requests from ABC13, the Harris County Jail faces a troubling discrepancy between the number of violent incidents and the charges filed; in 2023, only 71 charges arose from over 11,000 recorded assaults, fights, and sexual encounters, equating to less than 1% of such incidents. After Griego's death, the Harris County Sheriff's Office said to ABC13 that they reported to the Texas Commission on Jail Standards and allowed the Texas Department of Public Safety Ranger Division to carry out an investigation, maintaining they followed protocol.
