Crowd gathers in downtown Chicago to show support for Sandra Bland

The prosecutor in the Sandra Bland death investigation said Monday he has appointed an outside group of lawyers to review the evidence in the case to ensure that Waller County remains “an open book”.

Authorities in Waller County, Texas, released video footage of Sandra Bland, covering multiple days, to knock down rumors that she was dead before she was brought to the jail.

Bland spent the next three days at the Waller County Jail, where investigators say she was found hanging in her cell.

Waller County Judge Trey Duhon told reporters in a presentation of the video that law enforcement officials have received death threats stemming from Internet rumors that Bland was dead before she was taken to jail.

Officials played excerpts of footage from Bland’s first day in jail, including video of her making phone calls in hopes of securing $500 to bail out, during a news conference carried live on KHOU. But Bland had a history of depression, and according to jail forms, there were conflicting statements about when and whether she had previously attempted suicide.

A toxicology report shows the level of THC in her system was three times the legal limit for driving. “I mean it’s a tragedy either way”, she said.

Duhon said the footage was released to dispel rumors that Bland was deceased before entering the jail.

At the end of the video, Bland goes to her cell, where she was placed alone because of her alleged assault on an officer.

Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steve McCraw and a county sheriff who has been a critic of inadequate jail facilities were expected to testify at the Texas House Committee of County Affairs hearing.

Family and friends of an Illinois woman found dead in a Texas jail cell are saying their goodbyes at her wake and funeral near the Chicago suburb where she grew up.

‘I don’t know if we’ll ever get an answer to all the questions, ‘ said attorney Lewis White of Sugar Land, one of the committee members.

The Texas Rangers and the FBI are investigating the case. Both White and Jordan are black, and will be dealing with a case that has received worldwide scrutiny and questions about whether Bland was treated differently due to her race.

“People who are out there going through a lot of trouble to fabricate photographs and fabricate videos … we are not going to stand idly by and let that happen”.

The Texas Rangers and the FBI are investigating the case.