On the side of the 271 F-POD module of the Torres Twin Correctional Center of the Los Angeles County, a reo, Maxwell Aguirre, 22, to prepare knots to commit suicide by hanging is observed in video.
On September 29, 2023, Maxwell, a veteran of the United States Air Force, who was detained in pretrial detention took his life inside a cell, while three custodians of the department of the Los Angeles County Sheriff (Lasd) ate and watched YouTube videos.
A year ago the family filed a civil lawsuit for erroneous death against Lasd. It was possible, thanks to information provided by an anonymous complainant who works as a health professional. This person knew that security controls had been omitted in jail and that reports were falsified.
The video of the hanging was provided to the opinion, by the lawyer Denisse Gastelum, who represents the deceased family in civil lawsuit.
In addition to the custodians in the prison module, in the video you can see two inmates dialogue inside a cell of the upper part, adjacent to the cell of Maxwell Aguirre. Another low the staircase and several more talk in metal tables and chairs.
The lawyer Gastelum declared that it has been confirmed that LASD agents “burned” security controls during the hours prior to Maxwell Aguirre’s suicide attempt.
In fact, surveillance images show Aguirre by placing the ligation in full view of the agents.
It has also been confirmed that LASD agents had been falsifying the mandatory security controls of Title 15 during the weeks prior to Aguirre’s death.
“The practice of the” burning the controls “was that the custody personnel falsified the records of the security controls of Title 15, falsely informing that the revisions had made, without having done them physically.
“This constitutes a violation of article 115 of the Criminal Code and is a reason for descrtification of the Post (Peace Officer Standards and Training / Standards and Training for Peace Officers].
The family of Maxwell Aguirre accuses the sheriffs of not fulfilling their duties, how not to monitor the imprisoned and falsify documents and reports to hide their negligence.
In fact, at a press conference in front of the Federal Building of the Department of Justice, they requested a criminal investigation from the County Prosecutor and the Department of Justice.
“These three officers falsified the documents on the mandatory reviews that must be made within the prisons,” said lawyer Gastelum. “They also falsified the same reports they delivered to the department [LASD]saying that at the time Mr. Aguirre was killed, that they were doing their job and did not know what was happening. ”
In a second video provided by lawyer Gastelum, you can see the three agents who get up nervously from the table where they ate when they were notified of Maxwell Aguirre’s hanging.
“Other imprisoned reported that they were lies [los reportes] and that they falsified them to deceive the department and ensure that no one knew what really happened that day. ”
‘It is not negligence. It is criminal conduct‘
Maxwell Aguirre He was suspicious of the murder of Enrico Eugenio, which occurred on July 16 of 2023. Aguirre was arrested that same day and appeared before a judge on July 18. He remained on bail of 2 million dollars at the TWIN Towers Correctional Center. His next hearing was scheduled for November 21.
The victim, Enrico Eugenio, 62, died from head trauma by forceful force. He was found dead in a garage.
“What is known is that Maxwell was arrested for homicide and, obviously, those charges never went to court in front of the jurors to find that what happened is really,” said lawyer Gastelum. “We also know that unfortunately Maxwell is not here with us to defend himself. He faced a guy who had violent and sexual convictions.”
The lawyer explained that, if the County District Prosecutor, Nathan Hochman does not present criminal charges against the three sheriffs who allegedly had to monitor the security of the inmates, they will go to the State’s Attorney Justice, Rob Bronta, “because they also have the power to investigate and establish criminal charges against these people, and the county supervisors also know what is happening in prisons.”
He added that reforms are needed within the prison system, “especially when government officers lie and counterfeit reports.”
“That is not negligence. It is criminal behavior,” he said.
Omar Aguirre, Maxwell’s father, said his son’s death was “completely avoidable.”
“He had no criminal record. He was veteran of the United States Air Force. He was only 22 years old and had never had problems. He had not even been prosecuted. So it is unthinkable to think that one can die in jail, without having committed any crime, without having been accused or prosecuted for any crime,” he said.
The worst of all, he said, was to discover that “there is a public health epidemic” in the county prisons: 103 deaths.
The figure, however, is higher, according to the Vera Institute of Justice: Until September 2025, 115 inmates have died in the Los Angeles County prisons Since the beginning of 2023, with 38 deaths reported this year, a significant increase compared to previous years.
The Vera Institute of Justice has been monitoring these deaths and has observed that the current rhythm already exceeds 2021, the deadliest year recorded until that moment with 31 dead.
“A system that kills”
For his part, the lawyer Kevin O’Hara criticized “the many irregularities” committed by the department of the Sheriff of the Los Angeles County and his agents, and thanked the anonymous informant that allowed them to discover what was tried to hide with the death of Maxwell Aguirre.
“He took us about two years to discover the truth and receive the documents that corroborated what the complainant said: that there were fraudulent reports and that it was a custom of deliberate indifference [de los agentes]. The complainant knew that security controls had been omitted, and that the agents were watching You Tube videos [cuando Maxwell Aguirre se ahorcó]”
Kianny, Maxwell’s older sister said: “My brother was not sentenced. He died of negligence. He was never convicted of anything. She waited for her day in court, a promised right for every American. Instead, she died only in a cell while the Los Angeles County Police looked at YouTube.”
“He was not supposed to die. He was not disposable. He was a son. He was a brother. He was a human being. He, the Constitution promised due process, but the police killed him,” he added. “And this is not just my family. If they could let a man die because they did not bother to do their job, so no one is sure in their custody. It’s not just about my brother. It is a system that kills.”
“He is with me every day”
Yvette Aguirre, Maxwell’s mother, described that her son was a good, fair and correct man.
“He is with me every day. We buried his body, but I know that his spirit is still alive. He is a kind and generous person who always takes care of others, in addition to helpful.
Mrs. Aguirre declined to talk about the altercation in which her son became involved, months before she died and established that I grew up to Maxwell to trust the forces of the order, in the law and to consider the agents as friends, “that they are to protect us, worse now I do not feel that way.”
“I feel that the current system allows them [a los alguaciles] Doing nonsense when they should be working, and allows them to hide their footprints and, in a way, self -control, something that they do not do. I am not criticizing all the forces of the order, but when you are in them, you must be irreproachable. You should not be perfect. We are all human, but you always have to do the right thing according to the law. ”
He said that every day he sees his husband Omar cry, and that he often does not even have time to process his own pain, since he must be aware of his other three children: Kyanni, Madison and Sophia.
Sheriff’s response
“The Los Angeles County prisons are an integral part of the Los Angeles County Public Security System and 48% of the population housed in the system suffer from some kind of mental illness,” the LASD said in a statement.
“The Los Angeles County Sheriff department strives to the fullest to maintain this extremely complex system, and our main objective is to guarantee the safety of people under their custody, including those who cross a mental health crisis.”
“The department undertakes to reduce and prevent deaths in custody by carrying out medical and multidisciplinary custody reviews, timely, exhaustive and objective of the circumstances surrounding each death,” adds the answer.
“Within 48 hours after a death in custody, department representatives: Correctional Health Services, Office of the Inspector General, Department of Justice of the United States and a judicial monitor designated by the Federal Government meet to review the circumstances of the death in order to identify and address any isolated or systemic problem.”
It indicates the message that: “Additional meetings are scheduled, as necessary, to identify additional concerns and monitor corrective measures. For the sake of transparency, the department updates its public transparency website to reflect the most recent information about each death in custody, including the cause and reason of death, at least every 30 days.”
The statement adds that the mission of the Custody Division is to serve the Los Angeles County providing a safe penitentiary environment with constitutional management, both for staff and inmates.
“Security controls are carried out to the entire penitentiary population, with variable frequencies according to the type of accommodation,” they say. “The supervision performs face -to -face controls without prior notice in each accommodation area at least once per turn to ensure that all the safety controls of the inmates are carried out and documented properly.”