Case closed after investigation into two Orleans Justice Center inmate deaths

NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — The investigation into the deaths of two Orleans Justice Center inmates, Chad Neyland and Phillip Soublet, is closed.

Today (Nov. 14), Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office Chief Legal Officer Graham Bosworth summarized the details of both deaths.

On June 10, Chad Neyland was arrested on charges of theft, possession of oxycodone, and possession of drug paraphernalia. But later this past summer, Neyland committed suicide in the jail.

According to Bosworth, OPSO investigators reviewed security footage and Neyland’s medical records, and talked to 52 witnesses. Bosworth concluded Neyland’s death was intentional.

“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,” said Bosworth.

Phillip Soublet was arrested on July 24, 2020, for armed robbery, attempted 2nd-degree murder, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

OPSO investigators concluded that the “death of Mr. Soublet was the result of self-defense by another resident of the jail, Jrell Jack, whom Mr. Soublet had attacked with a deadly weapon,” said Bosworth.

WGNO crews spoke with Philip Soublet, about his son’s death.

“I had been so thankful, praising God for sparing me that call out here in these streets. I had been so thankful, and then to hear that he lost his life in there waiting on trial. Between the pill addiction and the streets of New Orleans, he just couldn’t shake it,” said Soublet.

“Where were the guards at, how long did it take them to respond to this incident, and how far away were they?”

The District Attorney did not indict Jack for killing Soublet, but the crime did lead to the arrest of three others:

• Mikael Nelson for an alleged violation of Attempted 2^nd Degree Murder
• Harrison Bethley for an alleged violation of Simple Battery
• Otiz Jackson for an alleged violation of Obstruction of Justice and Contraband in a Correctional Center

Bosworth said the conclusions about both inmates’ deaths “is a result of Sheriff Hutson’s commitment to transparency and compliance with the Consent Judgment she inherited from her predecessor… OPSO will continue to work to modernize its data management systems to provide information appropriately requested under the consent decree as timely as possible.”