Mother of woman who died in Tarrant County jail brings daughter’s ashes to commissioners
Deaths in the Tarrant County jail predominated public comments at the Tarrant County Commissioners Court on Tuesday, ahead of a closed session in which commissioners discussed multiple wrongful death lawsuits filed against the county.
Family, friends and supporters of Chasity Bonner, who died in the Tarrant County jail in May, demanded answers.
Her aunt and multiple media outlets have requested her autopsy report, but the Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney’s Office has appealed to the Texas Attorney General to block its release to the public. Bonner, of North Richland Hills, was booked into the jail on May 16 on a charge of theft of property valued between $2,500 and $30,000 and a parole violation.
The 35-year-old died of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, or hardened arteries, the medical examiner ruled.
LaMonica Bratton, Bonner’s mother, brought the urn containing her daughter’s ashes and placed it on the lectern before the commissioners.
“This is Chasity Bonner,” she said, placing her hand on the urn. “That should not be here, but because you’re failing at your job, this is where my baby is.”
Bratton denounced a lack of communication from the Sheriff’s Office regarding her daughter’s death and read a statement from Bonner’s daughter Labeverly Bonner, who was unable to attend Tuesday’s session.
“My grandchildren are so devastated that they can’t come to speak,” she said before reading the statement, which she was unable to finish reading, despite County Judge Tim O’Hare allowing her to go over her allotted three minutes.
Bratton shared Labeverly Bonner’s statement with the Star-Telegram in a text message: “The death of my mother has caused me so much pain. As a child should always be able to go to their mother for support, comfort, advice, I cannot do so due to her passing. It is a pain I wouldn’t wish on anyone. Becoming a mother and raising my daughters has been especially hard this past year after the passing of my mother. She didn’t deserve to be treated any less because of her mistakes. She didn’t deserve to die because of them.”
It was Labeverly Bonner’s first public statement since her mother’s death.
Octavia Reed, Bonner’s sister, called for the release of her full autopsy report and questioned why it hasn’t yet, despite the results being made public in early September.
The Sheriff’s Office has said it requested Bonner’s autopsy report from the medical examiner, but did not provide documentation. The Star-Telegram requested this documentation through an open records request. No responsive records were found.
“We have yet to receive any answers, we have gotten nothing,” she said. “We have contacted the Sheriff’s Office several times, and we have not received a call back. Our question is, what’s the holdup?”
Family friend Aretha Carr also spoke in support of Bonner’s loved ones, as did Fort Worth resident Linda Hanratty, who demanded the release of her autopsy report.
“Inmates should not be dying in our jails, but when they do, our families and the public need answers, if for no other reason than to prevent similar situations from continuing to occur,” Hanratty said.
Precinct 2 Commissioner Alisa Simmons told the Star-Telegram that the county needs to improve its interactions with families who have lost loved ones in the jail, saying they should have “immediate access” to autopsy reports and other records.
“And then I think we need processes in place for notifying families if there’s been a death,” she said. “I’d like to see some compassion, if not that, just basic care and consideration. We shouldn’t have families coming to Commissioners Court months after a death asking for basic information.”
O’Hare and the other commissioners did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Other jail death concerns of members of the public
Family members of other people who have died in the Tarrant County jail also spoke at Tuesday’s court session.
Cassandra Johnson, the mother of Trelynn Wormley, who died in the jail in July 2022, asked, “How are we stewarding our pain?”
Wormely died of a fentanyl overdose, the medical examiner ruled. Johnson alleged that drugs “run rampant” in the jail in a lawsuit filed against the county in July.
Janell Johnson, the sister of Anthony Johnson Jr., who was killed in the county jail during an altercation with guards in April, returned to the court to demand the release of the complete video of that event. The Sheriff’s Office released part of the footage in May.
Johnson also denounced a statement to the Star-Telegram by Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Laurie Passman that her family’s lawyer, Daryl Washington, is “an opportunist who profits off families dealing with loss.”
“Our lawyer that we hired is here to help us expose the deadly culture that you guys are supporting, that’s happening in the Tarrant County Jail,” she said.
O’Hare asked sheriff’s deputies to escort Johnson out of the building after she raised her voice toward the end of her comment.
Fort Worth resident Bishop Kirkland tied the deaths in the Tarrant County jail to other high-profile law enforcement killings of Black people in recent years, such as George Floyd, Tamir Rice and others.
“My village demands atonement for the blood of Anthony Johnson Jr. and Chasity Bonner,” he said.
James Smith, the neighbor of Atatiana Jefferson, who was killed by a Fort Worth police officer in 2019, made his first appearance before the commissioners since her death.
“When Anthony Johnson died, Atatiana died for me all over again,” he said, adding that such incidents “magnify the trauma.”
The Fort Worth City Council approved a $3.5 million settlement for Jefferson’s nephew in November 2023.
The commissioners discussed two lawsuits brought by family members of people who died in the jail — Anthony Johnson and Georgia Baldwin — during closed session on Tuesday. They also discussed a lawsuit brought by the family of Kelly Masten, a woman with an intellectual disability who was hospitalized after an 11-day incarceration in the county jail.
In total, the county has paid over $3.5 million in jail death lawsuits since Sheriff Bill Waybourn took office in 2017.
“At some point, you’re going to have to realize that this is not the efficient way to do things,” said Fort Worth resident Charles Bilz.
This story was originally published October 1, 2024 at 3:49 PM.
