KRON 4: Three ex-San Jose jail guards admit they beat Michael Tyree to death
SAN JOSE, Calif. (KRON) — Three former jail guards walked free out of the Santa Clara County courthouse in San Jose on Tuesday after they pleaded guilty to causing the death of 31-year-old Michael Tyree in 2015.
Ex-guards Matthew Farris, 35, Jereh Lubrin, 37, and Rafael Rodriguez, 40, looked tense and nervous as they pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter. Farris walked past a large group of cameras and news reporters without saying a word.
Tyree was a mentally ill man who was arrested for a misdemeanor offense and held in a San Jose jail for his own protection, District Attorney Jeff Rosen said. Attorneys and a judge believed that jail was the safest place for Tyree to remain until a bed opened up at a mental health treatment facility.