El Paso Medical Examiner Rules Cuban ICE Detainee’s Death Homicide by Neck and Torso Compression
The El Paso County medical examiner ruled the Jan. 3 death of Geraldo Lunas Campos a homicide, citing "asphyxia due to neck and torso compression" while he was being physically restrained at ICE’s Camp East Montana, and documenting abrasions on the chest and knees, neck hemorrhages, and petechial hemorrhages in the eyelids and neck. An outside forensic pathologist said the injuries are consistent with pressure from a hand or knee on the neck; the autopsy notes antidepressant use and a history of bipolar disorder and anxiety but makes no mention of a suicide attempt, contradicting DHS/ICE’s evolving public explanations.
📌 Key Facts
- El Paso County medical examiner’s autopsy formally ruled Geraldo Lunas Campos’s Jan. 3 death at ICE’s Camp East Montana facility a homicide.
- Cause of death is listed as "asphyxia due to neck and torso compression" while he was being physically restrained by law enforcement.
- The autopsy documents burst blood vessels and neck hemorrhages, petechial hemorrhages in the eyelids and neck skin, and abrasions on the chest and knees — findings consistent with forceful restraint and asphyxia.
- The report says witnesses saw Lunas Campos become unresponsive while being physically restrained; it also states he died after guards held him down until he stopped breathing and that he had been in solitary confinement.
- Independent forensic pathologist Dr. Victor Weedn reviewed the autopsy and said the injuries are consistent with pressure from a hand or knee on the neck, supporting asphyxia rather than suicide.
- The autopsy notes prescriptions for an antidepressant and an antihistamine and a history of bipolar disorder and anxiety but makes no mention of any suicide attempt, directly contradicting DHS’s revised suicide narrative.
- ICE and DHS gave evolving public accounts — an initial statement that omitted any altercation, a later claim that staff were responding to a suicide attempt and that the detainee "violently resisted," and, after the autopsy, a DHS spokeswoman emphasizing Lunas Campos’s prior 2003 New York conviction for sexual contact with a person under 11 and other convictions.
- The full autopsy report is now public, and the medical examiner’s homicide classification is a medical determination of manner of death, not a legal finding of criminal guilt.
📰 Source Timeline (5)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
January 22, 2026
6:15 AM
Autopsy finds Cuban immigrant in ICE custody died of homicide due to asphyxia
New information:
- Autopsy details that Lunas Campos was in solitary confinement and died after guards held him down until he stopped breathing.
- The report documents abrasions on the chest and knees, neck hemorrhages, and petechial hemorrhages in the eyelids and neck consistent with asphyxia during physical restraint.
- An outside forensic pathologist, Dr. Victor Weedn, reviewed the autopsy and said the injuries are consistent with pressure from a hand or knee on the neck and support asphyxia as the cause of death.
- The autopsy notes antidepressant and antihistamine prescriptions and a history of bipolar disorder and anxiety but makes no mention of any suicide attempt.
- The piece lays out, side by side, DHS/ICE’s shifting public accounts: an initial statement omitting any altercation; a later DHS claim that guards were trying to stop a suicide attempt; and a post-autopsy DHS statement emphasizing Lunas Campos’ prior child-sex conviction.
4:56 AM
Death of Cuban immigrant in ICE custody in Texas ruled a homicide, autopsy finds
New information:
- Full autopsy report by the El Paso County Medical Examiner is now public and explicitly rules Geraldo Lunas Campos’ death a homicide, with cause of death 'asphyxia due to neck and torso compression.'
- The autopsy documents abrasions on Lunas Campos’ chest and knees, neck hemorrhages, and petechial hemorrhages in the eyelids and neck skin, consistent with forceful restraint and asphyxia.
- A forensic pathologist (Dr. Victor Weedn) reviewing the report for AP says the injuries are consistent with pressure from a hand or knee on the neck, reinforcing that asphyxia—not suicide—caused death.
- The report notes prescription antidepressant and antihistamine use and a history of bipolar disorder and anxiety but makes no mention of a suicide attempt, directly contradicting DHS’s revised suicide narrative.
- ICE’s initial public account omitted any altercation with guards; after the family was told the death was likely a homicide, DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin shifted to claiming Lunas Campos was attempting suicide and 'violently resisted' staff, and after the autopsy’s release she emphasized his prior sex‑offense and drug convictions.
3:33 AM
Autopsy finds Cuban immigrant in ICE custody died of homicide due to asphyxia
New information:
- Confirms autopsy details: abrasions on chest and knees, neck hemorrhages, and petechial hemorrhages in eyelids and neck skin consistent with asphyxia.
- States explicitly that witnesses saw Lunas Campos 'become unresponsive while being physically restrained by law enforcement,' and that the medical examiner concluded death was due to 'asphyxia due to neck and torso compression.'
- Includes an independent forensic pathologist, Dr. Victor Weedn, validating that the findings support asphyxial death and suggesting injuries are consistent with a hand or knee on the neck.
- Contrasts ICE’s evolving public accounts — initial statement omitting any struggle, later DHS claim of a suicide attempt — with an autopsy that does not mention a suicide attempt.
- Adds DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin’s latest response emphasizing the victim’s prior 2003 New York conviction for sexual contact with a person under 11, framing him as a 'criminal illegal alien and convicted child sex predator.'
2:39 AM
Cuban Detainee in El Paso ICE Facility Died by Homicide, Autopsy Shows
New information:
- El Paso County medical examiner’s autopsy formally classifies Geraldo Lunas Campos’s Jan. 3 death as a homicide.
- Cause of death is listed as 'asphyxia due to neck and torso compression' while he was being physically restrained by law enforcement at ICE’s Camp East Montana facility.
- The report documents burst blood vessels in the front and sides of his neck and on his eyelids, indicating significant neck and head trauma.
- The article notes that a homicide classification is a medical determination of manner of death, not a legal finding of criminal guilt.
January 21, 2026