The family and friends of Ronald Erwin Pate, 35, who died June 24 at Ben Taub Hospital after being in Harris County Jail for 13 days, are calling for increased funding and better medical care at the jail.
Saturday at 1 p.m., a press conference was held outside of the Harris County Jail to discuss the situation and the need for change.
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Pate reportedly experienced a medical problem shortly before his death. Early indications suggest he died after being administered medication when he became “agitated.”
His family said he was in good health before his incarceration.
“He was a wonderful father... a wonderful husband and a wonderful nephew,” said Jeana Pate, Ronald’s aunt. “There’s nothing negative to say about him — other than he lost his life at 35, too soon.”
Pate leaves behind a wife and an 11-year-old daughter.
Civil rights attorney Randall Kallinen, who represents Pate’s family, is demanding transparency, including the release of jail surveillance videos and medical records.
“This death needs an investigation such as by the Texas Rangers or FBI,” Kallinen said. “We are experiencing a surge in jail deaths.”
Two other inmates died within a 48-hour period, bringing the total number of inmate deaths in 2025 to 10 — matching the total for all of 2024.
“We want Sheriff [Ed] Gonzalez to release the videos... Videos don’t lie,” Kallinen said.
KPRC 2’s Michael Horton reached out to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office for a statement regarding the situation. This was their response:
Michael, we have reported three recent deaths in custody to the jail commission as required, which is reflected on their website.
We have also added all three deaths to our website , that contains information and a brief narrative.
We have had 10 deaths in custody year to date.
