A former Galveston County Jail officer has been indicted on a charge of criminally negligent homicide after allegedly kneeling on an inmate’s neck, causing his death in 2024.
A Texas Rangers investigation determined that 39-year-old inmate Saul Vargas died from asphyxia due to neck compression. Vargas had been booked into the jail in September 2024 on charges of evading arrest and burglary.
His wife, Candelaria Palacios, said she trusted deputies would help him turn his life around. “I told him, ‘Think about us, our kids, our future, and let’s fix this.’ He said, ‘OK, I’m going to fix it,’” she recalled.
Eight days later, Palacios received a call that her husband was in the hospital, brain dead, covered in vomit, and marked by taser burns.
For nearly a year, the family received few answers. Palacios, recovering from throat cancer, relied on relatives to press officials for information. “We’re his voice,” she said.
Last week, the family learned that Skyler Ray Chapman, the now-terminated officer, was indicted. Court records accuse him of kneeling on Vargas’ neck.
“The justice center is cruel,” said Vargas’ sister, Priscilla Vargas. “People in jail should not be treated like animals. Officers are supposed to protect and serve them.”
Chapman was booked and released on a $20,000 bond Tuesday. If convicted, he faces up to two years in jail.
“He was loved,” Palacios said. “Two years for a life is not enough. He won’t see his grandbabies. He won’t see our son graduate or our granddaughters start kindergarten. He’s gone.”
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