In a tragic turn of events, Jerome Brooks, a former staffer for Democratic Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas, died from a drug overdose.
The 36-year-old was publicly berated by the congresswoman during her unsuccessful Houston mayoral campaign last November, as revealed in a leaked audio clip. The audio, which was widely circulated among Houston media, created a significant setback for the 74-year-old's campaign.
Brooks' demise occurred shortly after he was insulted by the Texas Democrat, who was serving her 15th term in the House. KPRC-TV reported that Austin police launched an investigation into Brooks' death after he was discovered dead in a city hotel, just days after the audio leak was made public.
As reported by KPRC-TV, Brooks had met a man online and accompanied him to a hotel room. On the evening of October 29, Brooks was observed consuming alcohol and pills. He reportedly clutched his chest and slumped over at one point. Despite attempts to revive him, Brooks died at the scene.
The police quickly ruled out homicide as a cause of death while awaiting the results of a toxicology report. The report, which was released last week, revealed a lethal mix of drugs and alcohol in Brooks' system. Hill County Chief Forensic Pathologist Satish Chundru concluded that Brooks' death was due to an accidental overdose, resulting from the combination of alcohol, ecstasy, and methamphetamine.
It remains unclear whether the ecstasy, a street name for MDMA, was laced with methamphetamine or if the two drugs were consumed separately. An erectile dysfunction drug, sildenafil, similar to Viagra, was also detected in Brooks' system.
Rep. Jackson Lee has not yet commented on Brooks' death. When KPRC-TV reached out to her office for a statement, they were informed that she was "traveling."
It is speculated that Brooks was the individual referenced in a profanity-laden tirade by Jackson Lee last fall, just two weeks before her mayoral bid failed. On October 20, a male staffer leaked a 90-second audio clip of the congresswoman insulting him and Brooks.
In the leaked audio, Jackson Lee can be heard berating Brooks and another staffer, using derogatory language and insults. The congresswoman later expressed regret over the release of the clip but did not issue an apology, as reported by The Texas Tribune.
In a statement published by the Tribune, Jackson Lee said, "To anyone who has listened to this recording with concern, I am regretful and hope you will judge me not by something trotted out by a political opponent, that worked to exploit this, and backed by extreme Republican supporters on the very day that polls open, but from what Ive delivered to Houstonians over my years of public service.
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