Read the latest in our coverage of the death of Anthony Johnson Jr. and other issues at the Tarrant County Jail.
The two jail guards who were fired from the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office in connection with the death of Anthony Johnson Jr. while in custody have been charged with murder.
The Sheriff’s Office announced charges Friday against Rafael Moreno — the jailer who put his knee on Johnson’s back for 90 seconds — and Lt. Joel Garcia, who was the supervisor the morning of Johnson’s death.
“The wheels of justice continue to turn in this case,” Tarrant County Sheriff Bill Waybourn said in the statement. “I have said from the beginning that we will hold everyone responsible for Mr. Johnson’s death accountable and we are doing just that.”
Neither Moreno nor Garcia are in custody at the Tarrant County Jail, according to jail and court records. Their attorneys did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“The indictment of Rafael Moreno Jr. and Joel Garcia is an appropriate step in the right direction, given what we all saw in the video revealing the final moments of Anthony Johnson Jr.’s life,” attorney Daryl K. Washington, who represents the Johnson family, said in a statement.
Johnson’s death on April 21 was ruled a homicide by asphyxiation by the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office on June 7.
