NEW ORLEANS — The Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office says they have closed the investigations into the death of two OJC residents. The two inmates died this past June while in custody.
Investigators ruled the death of Chad Neyland as suicide and the death of Phillip Soublet was self-defense by another resident.
OPSO released an executive summary of the closed investigations from Graham Bosworth, OPSO’s chief legal officer saying:
“The first death was that of Chad Neyland. Mr. Neyland was arrested on June 10, 2022, for allegations of Theft, Possession Oxycodone, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. The investigation into the death of Chad Neyland involved interviews of 52 witnesses, including deputies, medical personnel, and residents of the OCJ, along with a detailed review of the security footage from the pod and medical records. At the conclusion of the investigation, it was determined that Mr. Neyland had committed suicide by intentionally falling headfirst onto the cement floor of the jail from the mezzanine level of his unit in the jail while suffering the effects of detoxification from a heroin addiction."
“The second death was that of Mr. Phillip Soublet. Mr. Soublet was arrested on July 24, 2020, on allegations of Armed Robbery, Attempted 2nd Degree Murder, and Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. In conducting the investigation into the death of Phillip Soublet in June, OPSO investigators secured the crime scene, collected and analyzed physical evidence, conducted 87 interviews, and conducted detailed reviews of security camera footage. At the end of the investigation, OPSO investigators concluded that the death of Mr. Soublet was the result of justifiable self-defense by another resident of the jail, Jrell Jack, whom Mr. Soublet had attacked with a deadly weapon. The results of the investigation were provided to the District Attorney who presented those results to a grand jury who declined to indict Mr. Jack with a crime."