A grand jury has been convened in West Palm Beach to investigate the death of Eric Perez in a juvenile detention center.
The Miami Herald reported Monday that the state prosecutor’s office in Palm Beach County has also asked a judge to prevent the release of a video of Perez’ final hours at the West Palm Beach juvenile facility.
The Department of Juvenile Justice has acknowledged that staff failed to act properly in not seeking help for Perez, 18, when he was in distress in the hours before his death on July 10.
Perez had been in the center for possession of marijuana. The cause of his death remains undetermined.
His mother, Maritza Perez, has requested a video that showed her son in the time before his death, but officials are declining to release it. She told the Miami Herald that officials asked her to promise not to make it public, but she declined, saying she wants people to see how her son died.
“I want the tape, and I’m going to show it to the world,” Perez told the newspaper.
The Legislature passed a law this year prohibiting the release of videos showing anyone’s death except to immediate family of the deceased.
