2 Tarrant County jailers charged with murder are booked into jail, released on $125K bond

Amy McDaniel
·1 min read

Read the latest in our coverage of the death of Anthony Johnson Jr. and other issues in Tarrant County jail.

Two Tarrant County jailers indicted on murder charges in the in-custody death of Anthony Johnson Jr. were booked into North Texas jails over the weekend and released on bond.

Rafael Moreno Jr., the detention officer who is accused of kneeling on Johnson’s back, causing his death by asphyxiation, turned himself in to the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office on Saturday and posted $125,000 bond, according to court records.

As part of the conditions of his bond, Moreno has been placed on house arrest with GPS monitoring, court records state.

Joel Garcia, a Tarrant County Jail supervisor who recorded cellphone video of the April 21 altercation that led to Johnson’s death, turned himself in to the Parker County Sheriff’s Office on Friday. He also was released on $125,000 bond after being booked at the Parker County Jail, according to jail records.

Anthony Johnson Jr., a 31-year-old Marine veteran, tried to get help when he began noticing the symptoms of a schizophrenic episode, according to his family. Johnson was turned away from mental health facility, his sister said, and was arrested later that day. He died April 21 after being pepper-sprayed and held down by officers at the Tarrant County Jail.

Arrest warrants for the two jail employees were issued after a Tarrant County grand jury returned the indictments last week.

The Texas Rangers investigated Johnson’s death and turned over the results to the Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney’s Office, which is prosecuting the case.

“As promised, the Texas Department of Public Safety, Ranger Division, conducted a thorough, impartial, and meticulous investigation of the death of Anthony Johnson,” DPS Regional Director Jeremy Sherrod said in a statement Monday. “... We know that this has been a painful, and at times, a prolonged process for the family of Anthony Johnson, but now this case moves to the next step in the judicial process.”