John Neville
John Neville, 56, of Greensboro, was a father whose son Sean later filed a federal lawsuit over his death, and during his restraint he called out for his mother. He was held at the Forsyth County Jail in Winston-Salem, where, according to District Attorney Jim O'Neill, he fell from a top bunk after a medical episode and was moved to an observation cell. Officers restrained him face down, and video shows him repeatedly saying he could not breathe; he died at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center on December 4, 2019. The medical examiner's autopsy attributed his fatal brain injury to asphyxia during prone restraint, and prosecutors said five former detention officers and a nurse ignored his cries for help. A grand jury declined to indict the officers and indicted the nurse for involuntary manslaughter, while the family's federal lawsuit is pending and attorneys for one officer dispute any criminal conduct.
Cause of death, as reported: Killed by staff (disputed; neglect alleged). The medical examiner attributed his death to asphyxia during prone restraint, the district attorney says staff ignored his cries for help, and the family's attorney says medical help should have been called instead.
Reported by: Forsyth County medical examiner's autopsy (medical examiner or coroner); Forsyth County District Attorney Jim O'Neill (outside investigators); Neville family attorney Mike Grace (family or their lawyers).
Lawsuit: His family filed a civil lawsuit against Forsyth County and Wellpath, a federal lawsuit by his son is pending, and the family later received a $3 million settlement from a payer the reporting does not name.
Sources (24)
- News report
- John Neville NC: 5 guards and a nurse charged in death of North Carolina inmate who said 'I can't breathe' while restrained
- 'I can't breathe:' 5 Former detention officers, nurse charged in death of Forsyth County man
- Autopsy: Cellmate says John Neville may have suffered seizure before detention center staff used restraints
- Judge: Releasing video of deadly jailhouse injuries 'necessary to advance a compelling public interest'
- Videos Show Events Leading Up To John Neville's Death In NC Jail Cell
- John Neville: Video shows moments before death of Forsyth County inmate who said 'I can't breathe' while restrained, died later at hospital
- Forsyth Jail videos: Man begs for his life, repeatedly warns that he can’t breathe
- NC jail death could prompt changes in training, policy
- Video shows prison inmate saying 'I can't breathe' as officers restrain him before he dies - ABC News
- Videos show North Carolina man restrained by jail officers before his death: "I can't breathe"
- North Carolina inmate who died following restraint repeatedly said 'I can't breathe'
- North Carolina Sheriff's Office Changes Restraint Policy
- Black Inmate Screamed ‘I Can’t Breathe’ More Than 20 Times As Prison Guards Restrained Him; He Later Died
- A nurse has been indicted in a man's death at a Winston-Salem jail — but not any officers
- Nurse Indicted For the Death of an Inmate, Officers Who Hog-tied Him Not Indicted
- Forsyth County: Grand Jury indicts nurse for involuntary manslaughter in John Neville death
- Grand jury declines to indict five former Forsyth County jail officers charged in restrained man's death
- 'She Did Not Hold Him Face Down on a Mat': Nurse Faces Manslaughter Charges, While Jail Guards Off the Hook for In-custody Death of North Carolina Man
- North Carolina jury indicts nurse in death of incarcerated Black man, jail officers excused
- NC Court of Appeals rules records of John Neville's death be released
- Why is nurse Michelle Heughins facing charges for the December 2019 prison death of John Neville?
- Family of NC inmate awarded $3 million after he died in custody while hogtied
- Forsyth County detention officer, fired during inmate's death investigation in 2019, rehired in 2024