Former Santa Ana prison employee charged with felony altering prison records after inmate’s suicide

SANTA ANA, Calif. – A Santa Ana corrections officer has been charged with several felonies for falsifying prison records to conceal the fact that he failed to conduct required security checks on an inmate who committed suicide in the prison. An internal investigation by the Santa Ana Police Department after the inmate’s suicide revealed discrepancies between prison records and security checks that video surveillance showed were never conducted.

Esteban GonzalezA 39-year-old Chino man has been charged with three felony counts of altering public records while working at a Santa Ana Detention Center in 2021. If found guilty on all charges, he faces up to six years in prison.

On June 25, 2021, Corrections Officer Gonzalez was in charge of supervising inmates in Module 4C of the Santa Ana Jail. Surveillance footage shows another corrections officer conducting a security check on the inmate Darryl Samuel at 9:31 a.m., before ending his shift and leaving Module 4C under Gonzalez’s care.

According to video surveillance, Gonzalez did not conduct further security checks until the prisoners were released for lunch at about 10:50 a.m. Samuel did not show up for lunch. The prisoners in Module 4C finished their lunch and returned to their cells at about 11:13 a.m., leaving several prison staff to clean and vacuum.

At approximately 11:18 a.m., a corrections officer discovered Samuel hanging by a sheet in his cell and called Gonzalez for help. Gonzalez and three other officers began life-saving efforts while waiting for Orange County Fire Authority paramedics to arrive. While firefighters performed life-saving efforts, Gonzalez is seen conducting security checks on inmates, then returning to the prison’s computer records and changing them.

In Santa Ana Police Department computerized jail records, Gonzalez noted that he conducted inmate security checks at 10:16 a.m. and 10:18 a.m., which is inconsistent with video surveillance, which showed that no security checks were conducted at that time. Those security checks and the alleged 10:50 a.m. check at the beginning of lunch were recorded as a “code 4” for “all good,” and the 10:50 a.m. security check was also coded “no refusals,” despite the fact that Samuel never reported for lunch and was presumably dead at that time.

An internal affairs investigation by Santa Ana police found that while firefighters were trying to resuscitate Samuel, Gonzalez deleted a previously entered entry from a 10:50 a.m. security check that listed a “code 4” and “no refusals.”

The Orange County District Attorney’s Office reviews all in-custody deaths to determine whether a law enforcement agency bears criminal responsibility for the death. The Huntington Beach Police Department, which contracts with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, is an exception.

On July 27, 2022, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office issued a legal ruling regarding Samuel’s in-custody death, determining that while the inmate’s suicide was intentional after learning hours earlier that his girlfriend was pregnant by another man, there was no evidence that could be confidently considered to establish criminal liability for Samuel’s death.

Following a review of prison records, criminal charges were filed against Gonzalez for falsifying prison records.

“Inmates depend on correctional officers for every aspect of their safety and well-being, and in this case, Correctional Officer Gonzalez failed to perform this most basic duty,” said Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer. “The callousness involved in desperately attempting to change a prison record while paramedics were trying to revive Mr. Darryle is unacceptable. It is a betrayal of trust in correctional officers, and we will continue to hold law enforcement officers accountable to the fullest extent of the law when they break the law.”

Samuel was arrested on November 20, 2019, on charges of committing several armed robberies between early October and November 19 in Los Angeles and Orange counties.

On May 24, 2021, the United States Marshals Service transferred Samuel to the Santa Ana Detention Facility (“SADF”). During the intake process, a NaphCare Charge Registered Nurse conducted a mental health screening on Samuel. During the screening, Samuel disclosed that he suffers from bipolar disorder and was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (“PTSD”) in 2013. Samuel denied ever planning, preparing, or attempting to take his own life. The SADF placed Samuel alone in Module 4C, Cell 17 (“C17”). The Registered Nurse referred Samuel to a mental health facility for evaluation.

On June 13, 2021, Samuel met with a psychiatric nurse. Samuel told her that he had bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, and also suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression. Samuel told the psychiatric nurse that he had previously taken mental health medication but did not like it. He rejected the psychiatric nurse’s suggestion that he take mental health medication again. Samuel revealed that in 2012, he attempted suicide by taking a drug overdose, but denied that he was currently suicidal.

On Friday, June 25, 2021, the day of his death, Samuel made four separate phone calls to his longtime girlfriend, starting at 7:16 a.m. and ending at 9:08 a.m.

The first call to the girl was at 7:16 a.m. Samuel told her that he was hurt and angry at his girlfriend because he believed she was pregnant with “another man’s child.” Samuel told her that he wanted to die. Samuel made it clear that he wanted to kill himself. Samuel demanded that his girlfriend tell him who the father of the baby was; his girlfriend refused and kept referring to the unborn child as “God’s Child.”

The second call to his girlfriend was made at 7:50 a.m. that same day. During that call, she admitted to Samuel that she had had sexual relations with another man. Samuel told her that he hated her and hated the world. Samuel accused his girlfriend of cheating on him four times. He then added, “If I die and kill myself, I will haunt you for the rest of my life!”

The third call to his girlfriend was made at 8:18 a.m. that same morning. Samuel again accused his girlfriend of serial infidelity. Samuel said, “I’m going to kill myself… you’re going to have the next guy’s baby! My life is ruined! You ruined me! … You won’t understand this unless I kill myself… I have something to prove to you. I will prove it… because you treat me like a joke! … I need help, I need help, I’m going to lose my mind. I hate your guts, you’re the devil himself!”

The fourth call to his girlfriend was made at 8:51 a.m. that same morning. Samuel persistently asked for the identity of his girlfriend’s sexual partner. After scolding his girlfriend, Samuel stated, “I’m done living. You probably think I’m joking. Today is my last day on this earth. I’m done. My brain can’t handle it, my heart can’t handle it. I can’t handle it… the only person I ever truly loved and gave everything I had fucked me over… fucked me over in a bad way… you destroyed my family!”

After speaking to his girlfriend on the phone, Samuel got in line to pick up and take his medication. As he was walking back to his cell, he stopped by a group of prisoners watching television. He watched TV for a while and chatted with other prisoners. SADF video footage shows Samuel laughing with the prisoners. He arrived at his cell at around 9:15 a.m., where he remained until a prison officer found him at 11:18 a.m.

At 9:15 a.m., all prisoners in Module 4C were returned to their cells with their doors locked and the module was secured. At 9:31 a.m., just 16 minutes after Samuel entered his cell, Prison Officer Talone is seen on video completing a security check on Samuel’s cell. Prison Officer Talone looked through Samuel’s cell window and walked away.1 A review of the Module 4C security check log showed that SADF prison officers did not conduct any security checks on any prisoners between 9:32 a.m. and 11:18 a.m.

At 11:18 a.m., a cleaning worker in Unit 4C discovered Samuel hanging by a sheet in his cell. While the cleaning worker was wiping down the door handle to Samuel’s cell, C17, he looked through the window in the door and saw Samuel hanging by his neck by the sheet. The cleaning worker pulled the handle and the door opened. The cleaning worker then called out to Santa Ana Correctional Officer Esteban Gonzalez, who was on the floor below.

The prisoner, hearing the staff member shouting, left his cell and ran towards the staff member standing outside C17. The prisoner looked in and saw Samuel hanging from a shelf with a sheet wrapped around his neck. The prisoner did not enter the cell; instead he returned to his cell, as instructed by prison officers. The prisoner noticed that Samuel was blue. When the prisoner returned to his cell he made movements towards his neck, which were visible on the camera footage.

Prison Officer Gonzalez was the first to arrive on the scene and rendered aid to Samuel. Prison Officer Zavala arrived shortly afterwards. Three other prison officers arrived at C17 and assisted in rendering aid. As the SADF prison officers did not provide a statement, it is not known which officer moved Samuel’s body from the hanging position to the location where Samuel was later found by medical personnel.

A Registered Vocational Nurse (“LVN”) arrived and entered C17 shortly after the prison officers entered C17. When she arrived, she saw Samuel lying on the floor with his head to the right of the toilet on the left side of the cell and his feet sticking out towards the opposite wall on the right side of the cell. Based on her observations, it is clear that the prison officers had moved Samuel’s body from the hanging position to the floor of the cell.

Various inmates described Samuel as a happy guy. Several inmates said Samuel had recently learned the names of his biological parents and had made contact with them. Samuel was excited at the prospect of talking to them. Other inmates described him as depressed and angry in the days leading up to his death. Inmates heard him repeatedly shouting at someone on the phone. Inmates believed he was talking to his wife or girlfriend.

Samuel claimed to suffer from PTSD and depression. Neither of these claims was officially verified before Samuel’s death. Levetiracetam was detected in his system after his death. Levetiracetam has a number of side effects, including exacerbating depression. 2 Given the short period of time Samuel was in SADF custody, there is no record of Samuel experiencing any side effects from taking levetiracetam. Samuel claimed to have attempted suicide in 2012, but denied that he was currently suicidal.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Deborah Einhorn of the Special Prosecutions Unit.

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