OAKLAND, Calif. — Alameda County District Attorney Ursula Jones-Dickson announced Tuesday that a criminal grand jury has indicted three Alameda County sheriff’s deputies in connection with the 2021 in-custody death of Maurice Monk at Santa Rita Jail, reviving a case that has become a flashpoint for debates over jail conditions, mental health care and law enforcement accountability.
According to the district attorney’s office, the grand jury returned indictments against deputies Robinderpal Singh Hayer, Thomas Mower and Donall Rowe. All three were indicted and arraigned on charges of dependent elder abuse, a violation of Penal Code Section 368(b)(1), at the Rene C. Davidson Courthouse in Oakland.
Hayer was also indicted and arraigned on an additional felony count of falsification of an official document, a violation of Government Code Section 6200, according to the district attorney’s announcement.
All three deputies remain out of custody after posting bail set by the court.
The indictments follow a lengthy investigation and shifting prosecutorial decisions in a case that has drawn national attention. Monk, 45, died on Nov. 15, 2021, after lying face down and unresponsive in his cell for at least three days without intervention, according to evidence disclosed in civil litigation.
Video footage and staff records later revealed that deputies and medical staff repeatedly passed Monk’s cell while he lay half-naked, surrounded by bodily fluids, with food trays and medication left untouched.
Monk had a documented history of diabetes and schizoaffective disorder and had been detained after an incident on a public bus. His death became emblematic of alleged neglect at Santa Rita Jail, one of the largest jails in California, and intensified scrutiny of both the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office and Wellpath, the private health care contractor responsible for medical services at the facility.
Former Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price said the grand jury’s action validates the charging decisions made under her administration, which initially brought criminal charges in November 2024.
“The grand jury agrees with my administration and my prosecution team, which at that time was led by Zachary Leitz, someone who has been unfairly attacked by the current district attorney,” Price said in an interview with the Vanguard.
Price said her office charged the case as dependent elder abuse rather than murder because the available evidence did not establish intent, a required element for homicide.
“Because the evidence is unclear,” Price said. “Murder requires intent and there was no evidence of intentional of an intent to kill this person. That’s the simple answer.”
She described the conduct at issue as extreme recklessness rather than an intentional act.
“This is what we call from a civil perspective, gross and reckless disregard for human life,” Price said. “And he happened to have been an elderly man, documented mental issues, someone who was incarcerated simply for acting out on a bus and ended up dead.”
Price said Monk’s death underscores broader systemic failures in Alameda County’s approach to mental illness.
“It’s horrible. It’s just horrible,” she said. “That’s how we deal with mental illness in Alameda County.”
When asked what the case says about county practices, Price added, “Yeah, it says we are doing a very, very poor job and using our carceral system to address mental health issues is cruel and inhumane.”
Jones-Dickson, who was appointed district attorney earlier this year, previously narrowed the scope of criminal prosecutions in the case. Her office dropped charges against six deputies and two medical clinicians, while continuing to pursue charges against the three deputies now indicted by the grand jury.
In an earlier statement, Jones-Dickson said she ordered a comprehensive review of the evidence after taking office, including witness statements, body-worn camera footage, medical records, pathologist reports and jail policies and procedures. She said that review focused on whether each defendant could be held criminally culpable based on the available evidence.
The family of Monk, represented by civil rights attorney Adanté Pointer, has previously expressed disappointment over the dismissal of charges against other defendants but said they would continue to seek accountability through the remaining criminal cases and civil litigation.
The case has already resulted in significant civil liability. Earlier this month, Wellpath agreed to pay $2.5 million to settle a federal civil rights lawsuit brought by Monk’s family. Alameda County separately agreed in 2023 to pay $7 million to resolve related claims and pledged reforms aimed at improving monitoring and care for people held at Santa Rita Jail. Combined public and private payouts tied to Monk’s death now total $9.5 million.
Santa Rita Jail has long faced lawsuits and investigations over in-custody deaths, mental health treatment and alleged neglect. Advocates argue that Monk’s death illustrates systemic failures tied to overcrowding, privatized medical care and a reliance on incarceration to manage people experiencing mental health crises.
Wellpath, formerly known as Correct Care Solutions, has faced hundreds of lawsuits nationwide alleging inadequate medical care in jails and prisons. Its contract with Alameda County is valued at approximately $250 million and is set to expire in 2027, prompting renewed calls from activists and community groups for county officials to reconsider the county’s reliance on private jail health care providers.
The criminal cases against Hayer, Mower and Rowe now proceed as Alameda County continues to grapple with the legal, financial and moral fallout from Monk’s death and broader questions about accountability inside its jail system.
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