Michael Tyree Murder Trial: Santa Clara County Jury Finds 3 Sheriff's Deputies Guilty Of Inmate's Death

A Santa Clara County jury Thursday convicted three sheriff's correctional deputies of second-degree murder in the killing of a mentally ill jail inmate, Michael Tyree, in 2015.

The three jail deputies, Jereh Lubrin, 30, Rafael Rodriguez, 28, and Matthew Farris, 28, were found guilty of fatally beating Tyree two years ago. The jury announced the verdict around 4:50 p.m. EDT Thursday.

The jury came to the decision and convicted the three guards on murder charges after they were said to have assaulted another mentally ill inmate earlier that evening.

Before the panel reached the decision, a two-month trial which began in March, also included charges against the three accused that they had assaulted a 48-year-old schizophrenic inmate named Juan Villa on Aug. 26, 2015, the same night Tyree died in his single cell at Main Jail South. However, the jury declared a mistrial on those charges.

"It's a sad day when law enforcement officers are convicted; those sworn to uphold the law and protect others choose to victimize and, in this case, kill a mentally ill inmate," District Attorney Jeff Rosen said.

Santa Clara County Sheriff Laurie Smith was also present during the trial and reacted to the verdict. "The acts carried out by these three individuals have tarnished the reputation of this profession and of our entire agency," she said. "Conversely, I stand behind the hard work and dedication of the 1,400 deputies who perform their job every day."

Read: Inmate Hanged In Cell Dead For 10 Hours While Guards Watched Netflix

Tyree was found in his cell naked and covered in vomit and feces on Aug. 26, 2015. His injuries included lacerations to the liver and spleen, which was almost severed into two. Defense attorneys for the accused argued that Tyree’s death was not a homicide but he had ruptured his organs after falling onto the sink in his cell.

The defense also argued that Santa Clara County medical examiner Joseph O’Hara had not done an adequate investigation into the case and jumped to the conclusion that Tyree was beaten to death. They said it could have been a suicide as there was a scrawled message over Tyree’s doorway, which could have been a suicide note.

The prosecution relied on witness testimony who said that the guards enjoyed beating up inmates, and text messages between some of the deputies also included boasts of beating inmates in areas devoid of jail security cameras. Prosecutor Matt Braker contended that Tyree was beaten up by the guards and reminded the jury of the texts that were sent by correctional officer Matthew Farris, that refer to inmates being "twisted up," "sprayed," "kicked," "locked down," "slapped" and "beaten the (expletive) down."

Lubrin was also accused of assaulting Villa on July 25, 2015.

Rodriguez’s Google search history also showed search queries on the morning of Tyree’s death including "can you die from punches to you," "can you die if someone punches you in the armpit" and "can you die if someone punches you in the rib."

The guards now face a minimum sentence of 15 years in prison with the possibility of parole.

According to KRON 4, Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors President Dave Cortese issued the following statement on the verdict: "The death of inmate Michael Tyree in a Santa Clara County Main Jail and the arrests of three corrections officers on murder charges marked a tragic episode in the history of our County’s Custody Operations, and made us painfully aware of the changes that needed to be made in our jail system."