Deputies, medical staff plead not guilty in Santa Rita Jail death
Oakland man left for dead at Santa Rita Jail, exclusive video shows
An Oakland man was left for dead for several days at Santa Rita Jail as new allegations are surfacing for the first time that deputies doctored the books to make it seem like they were checking in on him, when in fact, they did not provide any meaningful care, KTVU has learned.
OAKLAND, Calif. - Nine Alameda County sheriff's deputies and two medical staff on Monday pleaded not guilty to the in-custody Santa Rita Jail death of an Oakland man who was found languishing in his cell for days before anyone noticed he died.
Deputies Donall Chauncy Rowe, Thomas Mowrer, Ross Burruel, Robinderpal Singh Hayer, Andre Gaston, Troy Hershel White, Syear Osmani, Mateusz Laszuk and Christopher Haendel as well as Wellpath nurse David Everett Donoho and Alameda County Forensic Behavioral Health Dr. Neal Edwards were told to return to court on Feb. 24.
None are in custody and no bail was set.
In November, District Attorney Pamela Price, who is no longer in office following a recall, charged all nine defendants with dependent adult abuse and neglect.
Hayer, White and Osmani were also charged with falsifying documents.
Also in November, the deputies were placed on the state's decertification list.
Mowrer and White no longer work for the sheriff's office.
The charges stem from the Nov. 15, 2021, death of Maurice Monk.
(L-R) Alameda County sheriffs deputies Andre Gaston, Mateusz Laszuk, Robinderpal Singh Hayer, Thomas Mowrer, Donall Rowe, Christopher Haendel make first court appearance after being charged with Santa Rita Jail death of Maurice Monk. Nov. 18, 2024.
KTVU first reported the conditions of Monk's death after obtaining exclusive body camera video inside the jail that shows no one physically checked on the 45-year-old man, who is seen lying half naked on his bunk, for at least three days, possibly four.
And when deputies finally found Monk's body, stacks of uneaten food trays and pills lay scattered about the floor near an oblong puddle of urine by the foot of his bed.
When deputies finally opened the door to Monk's cell and walked in, they realized he had been left on his bunk motionless for so long that the red print reading "Alameda County" on the front of his jail-issued T-shirt had stained his chest, mixing with fluids that had been leaking out of his body, according to an internal sheriff's report.
After a month in custody at Santa Rita Jail, Monk was officially declared dead of hypertensive cardiovascular disease.
But deputies’ narratives and a review of more than 150 body camera videos, obtained through a civil lawsuit reveal that Monk was likely dead, or dying, for several days before that.
Last year, Monk's daughter and son won $7 million – an unprecedented amount from the sheriff's office.
Sheriff Yesenia Sanchez told KTVU in an email last month that she was "deeply disappointed by Price’s decision to pursue charges, as I do not believe they are justified. I will continue to support our staff throughout this challenging process."
Elvira Monk holds a poster of her brother, Maurice Monk, who died in custody in Santa Rita Jail.