06/02/2026
BETO UNIT GETS NEW WARDEN AFTER 13 INMATE DEATHS IN 2026
Juaquine Pope has been named the new warden of the Beto Unit, according to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice website.
Pope replaces Timothy Hooper, who was assigned to the unit last year. Hooper leaves the Beto Unit after 13 inmate deaths reported so far in 2026, according to custodial death records.
The most recent death involved 33-year-old inmate Jordan Vaughn Edwards, who died May 24 after being found unresponsive the previous day. According to a custodial death report, life-saving measures were initiated and an automated external defibrillator was applied, but no shock was advised. Edwards was transported to the unit infirmary as resuscitation efforts continued before being taken by ambulance to a hospital after regaining a pulse. He was later pronounced dead. An autopsy remains pending.
Records show Edwards had been in TDCJ custody since December 2022 and had been assigned to the Beto Unit since October 2025. He was serving a five-year sentence out of Red River County for assault family violence impeding breath.
Of the 13 reported inmate deaths at the Beto Unit this year, only two currently have amended custodial death reports listing a final cause of death. One death was attributed to synthetic cannabinoid toxicity, commonly known as K2, while another was determined to be from natural causes related to septicemia and complications from acute gangrenous cholecystitis.
Two additional inmate deaths involved inmates receiving hospice care, though their autopsies also remain pending. The remaining deaths are awaiting final autopsy results, with custodial death reports providing few details about possible medical causes or circumstances. The median age of inmates who have died at the Beto Unit in 2026 is 41.
