Tyejuan Shephard, 18, has been held at the Martinez Correctional Facility since October 15, and his loved ones say he is need of serious medical attention that he is not getting.
As friends and family rallied outside the facility Sunday to show their support for Shepherd, he demonstrated a severe stutter while speaking on the phone to the group and struggled to tell them "thank you" for visiting.
"He never stuttered, ever. Never ever…he’s losing his memory. He does not remember when his birthday is. He has to look off a piece of paper to know when his birthday is," said his mother Lavette Alexander.
His family and friends said that his health has suffered significantly in the weeks since he entered the facility and believe he needs to be taken to the hospital for an evaluation and treatment.
"I feel like the symptoms that he has, they’re all associated with a stroke," said Alexander.
Shepherd is being held on a charge of special circumstances murder in the shooting of Kevin Santisteban, 20, on 1-80 in September. Shepherd also has a history of mental illness including PTSD, depression and has previously attempted suicide.
"I feel like it seems almost cruel to just watch him wither away and get worse and worse every day. He’s worse every day," said his friend Briana Urudia.
The two women said they have reached out to the Contra Costa Sheriff’s Office, which runs the facility, to get him transferred to a hospital but have not been successful.
"He’s a human being. It seems if I was in there and I was a guard or a staff member, I would stress that he got to a hospital," said Urudia.
Sheriff’s officials did not immediately provide comment.