Nurse Indicted In Man’s Death While Jailed; Officers Who Restrained Him Won’t Face Charges
A grand jury in Forsyth County, North Carolina, has decided not to indict five officers charged with involuntary manslaughter in the death of John Neville, 56.
Instead, Michelle Heughins, the nurse who took care of Neville, who was an inmate at Forsyth County Jail where he died, was indicted for the charge of involuntary manslaughter.
On December 2, 2019, Neville fell out of his bunk while jailed. He was having a medical emergency, and five corrections officers moved him to another cell where he could be observed.
Body cam footage shows officers attempting to restrain Neville. He then began screaming, telling them that he couldn’t breathe, and calling for his mom as he resists. Jailers covered his head with a mask after Neville attempted to bite the officers. Reports note that his injuries came once he was moved. He had been restrained on his stomach for over 12 minutes.
An autopsy report stated that Neville died as a result of Hypoxic-Ischemic brain injury. This was due to cardiopulmonary arrest due to positional and compressional asphyxia during prone restraint.
The autopsy also showed that Neville had acute altered mental status and asthma.
Heughins’s attorney stated that the detention center nurse is not at fault for Mr. Neville’s death.
“She didn’t restrain him or hold him face down on the mat in a cell. She was not allowed to be in the cell when officers held him down. When she thought he was not breathing, she asked the officers to open the door and let her in. She immediately began CPR and was the only person at the jail that could save his life. She will be fully vindicated at trial,” stated Claire Rauscher.
Lt. Lavette Williams, Cpl.Edward Roussel, Officer Sarah Poole, Officer Antonio Woodley Jr., and Officer Christopher Stamper weren’t indicted.
Because grand jury proceedings happen behind closed doors, it is unclear why the decision was made to charge the nurse and not the officers.
Heughins is set to appear in court on May 20.
