SAN JOSE — Two jail guards testified Monday morning that they were just kidding around when they exchanged sadistic-sounding text messages about inmates with one of three colleagues charged with beating a mentally ill prisoner to death.

The three colleagues — correctional deputies Matthew Farris, Rafael Rodriguez and Jereh Lubrin — have pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder in the Aug. 26, 2015, death of Michael Tyree, and to assaulting another mentally ill inmate, Juan Villa, earlier that evening.

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San Jose: Fellow inmate testifies Michael Tyree was ‘screaming for his life’ Their trial began March 30 and continued Monday with testimony by the two other jail guards, who were called to the stand by the deputies’ lawyers to discuss the meaning of the texts they exchanged with Farris. Prosecutor Matt Braker contends that the texts show Farris, in particular, was contemptuous of inmates and enjoyed watching them suffer.

But correctional deputy Christian Wilton insisted Monday that a text he had written was not what it seemed.

“I’m going to start pulling people out at 2 am for no reason to twist them up,” Wilton had written to Farris about a month before Tyree was killed.

“Come to the 6th (floor) bro we do it at 00:01,” Farris responded.

On Monday, Wilton said the text was not meant to be taken literally.

“It was strictly sarcasm and banter,” Wilton said.

On cross-examination, Braker suggested that Wilton was reluctant to admit he actually meant it for fear of getting fired.

“I cannot speculate about what the repercussions would be,” Wilton said.

Wilton and the prosecutor also debated the meaning of the word, “bangin” in a series of texts he and Farris exchanged. Braker said they were talking about roughing up inmates.

But Wilton said “bangin” was the guards’ slang for calling in sick. The guards at the Main Jail where Tyree was killed clock in and out via a biometric device that requires the insertion of a finger, sometimes referred to as finger banging.

Also Monday, another guard, Corey Evans, testified about the meaning of a text he sent Farris after Farris had texted him about a troublesome inmate, “We got em bro he was a (expletive) haha.”

Evans texted back, “I wanted to hit him today.”

But the guard said “hit” meant to do a search of the inmate and his cell for drugs or other contraband, not physically assault him.

“Was this just banter?” asked Bill Rapoport, Farris’ lawyer.

“Yes, I wasn’t meaning this serious, whatsoever,” Evans testified.

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