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The 25-year-old man convicted in the deaths of a San Carlos couple who died following a crash in 2022 when he and another were street racing in Redwood City had been sentenced in his case just three weeks before he was found dead in his cell, officials said.
Kyle Harrison, 25, died on March 15 while in custody at the Maple Street Correctional Center due to unknown causes, according to the sheriff’s office. Harrison had been sentenced to eight years in prison on Feb. 15 for his role in the deaths of Grace Spiridon and Gregory Ammen on Nov. 4, 2022.
Harrison had less than two years of jail time remaining due to credits for good time and time served, according to District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe. He and then-17-year-old Cesar Morales were street racing when Morales crashed into the family’s vehicle at over 80 mph. The two parents, ages 42 and 44, died on impact, while their 7-year-old twin daughters survived.
The San Mateo County Sheriff’s office, coroner and district attorney are investigating Harrison’s death. Once a cause of death is determined, the sheriff’s office must release the findings to the public within 30 days.
“We are saddened by Mr. Harrison’s death. His statement to the court and to the victims’ family members at sentencing demonstrated true remorse for his crime and a sincere acceptance of his debt to society,” said Wagstaffe. “His death less than three weeks after sentencing just adds further to the tragedy of this case.”
According to the individual with knowledge of the in-custody death, Harrison was set to be transferred to a state prison this week and was housed in a cell with one other person.
Harrison’s death comes after scrutiny of in-custody deaths in San Mateo County continues. Since Sheriff Christina Corpus took office in 2023, six inmates, including Harrison, have died while incarcerated.
The pod that housed Harrison had received a routine safety check before he was found unresponsive, according to the sheriff’s office.
Jim Lawrence, chair of Fixin’ SMC, an organization advocating for greater oversight of the sheriff’s office, called for action following the latest inmate death.
“Once again, we are faced with the heartbreaking loss of another life in our San Mateo County Jail, making it the sixth inmate death since Sheriff Corpus took office,” he said.“This is an unconscionable pattern that demands immediate and decisive action. We are, and remain hopeful, our county leadership will prioritize and agendize this matter.”
In February 2023, Corpus hired Meliora Public Safety Consulting to review jail conditions. The firm found that the corrections division was at a “critical juncture due to the number of vacancies” and warned that the “workload and schedule cannot be safely sustained.”
This news organization asked for information on current vacancies in the corrections division and was told the sheriff’s office was working on the request.
Of the five known causes of death for inmates, two were suicides, two were drug-related, and one was ruled a homicide.
“(County Chief Health Officer Kismet Baldwin-Santana) informed me she has a very limited role in correctional health and referred my questions to the Director of Correctional Health, Michael del Rosario. To date, I have not received his response to my questions,” said Lawrence.
“Therefore, we, Fixin, are left asking, what if our (board of supervisors) had taken the opportunity to install a fully independent civilian oversight commission and Inspector General’s Office, as proposed by Fixin?” he added.
Harrison’s death also follows the approval of Measure A, which granted the county Board of Supervisors the authority to remove the sheriff after a hearing. The measure passed with 84% of the vote.
Supervisor Ray Mueller, who championed Measure A, declined to comment on the death.
The family of Hunter Berger, an inmate who died by suicide, has filed a lawsuit against the sheriff’s office, alleging jail staff ignored “obvious red flags” and failed to intervene. The case has yet to go to trial.
In July, the National Alliance on Mental Illness called for an independent review of the then-five inmate deaths in an op-ed published in The Almanac.
“The deaths in the county jail… have raised significant questions and should prompt an independent review,” NAMI San Mateo County President Chris Rasmussen wrote.
The charter amendment granting the Board of Supervisors authority to remove the sheriff will take effect once the County Elections Office certifies the vote, which must occur by April 3. The board must then formally accept the results, and the amendment will become law 10 days later.
The charter amendment was sent to voters after the release of a 408-page report by Judge LaDoris Cordell into the sheriff’s office that called for her immediate resignation.
“Aenlle and Sheriff Corpus’ dishonesty about their personal relationship, their incompetent management of the Sheriff’s Office, and Sheriff Corpus’ shocking willingness to relinquish control of the office to a real-estate-broker-turned-reserve-deputy, who failed to complete the Field Officer Training Program, have combined to leave the Sheriff’s Office in utter disarray,” wrote Cordell in the conclusion of her report.
Although he made a terrible decision to race a teenager and needed to be punished, I can’t help but think this adds to the tragedy rising from a foolish momentary decision. None of this had to happen, if a reckless impulse had not been indulged.