John Neville
John Neville, a father from Greensboro, North Carolina, had asthma, according to his family and sources. He was held at the Forsyth County Detention Center in Winston-Salem in December 2019, and body camera video released in 2020 shows detention officers restraining him face down while he repeatedly said he could not breathe. He died at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center on December 4, 2019, two days after the district attorney says he fell from his bunk during a medical episode. The medical examiner attributed his death to a brain injury from positional and compressional asphyxia during prone restraint. A grand jury declined to indict five former officers and indicted a nurse, and the family's lawsuit ended in a $3 million settlement with the county and sheriff's office, which did not admit liability.
Cause of death, as reported: Killed by staff (disputed; neglect alleged). The medical examiner attributed his death to positional and compressional asphyxia during prone restraint by detention officers, while his family's lawsuit says staff ignored his medical emergency and his pleas for help, and the defense says the officers followed standard procedure.
Reported by: Forsyth County Medical Examiner's autopsy (medical examiner or coroner); Forsyth County District Attorney Jim O'Neill (outside investigators); Forsyth County Sheriff's Office (the agency that held him); Neville family and their attorney Mike Grace (family or their lawyers).
Lawsuit: His family sued Forsyth County, the sheriff's office, detention officers and a nurse, and the county agreed to pay $3 million in 2022 without admitting liability.
Sources (44)
- News report
- He was arrested for assault. 3 days later, he was dead. What happened is still secret.
- 'I can't breathe' | Autopsy report details death of Forsyth County inmate John Neville
- Former deputies and a nurse charged in North Carolina jail inmate’s death
- 5 Guards and a Nurse Face Charges in Death of Inmate Who Pleaded, ‘I Can’t Breathe’ (Published 2020)
- 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
- 'I will continue to do what is right by the family' | Forsyth County Sheriff speaks after request made to release video in John Neville's death
- Judge: Releasing video of deadly jailhouse injuries 'necessary to advance a compelling public interest'
- 'This video is tragic. I won’t sugar coat that' | Limited video in John Neville's death investigation to be released Wednesday morning
- Videos Show Events Leading Up To John Neville's Death In NC Jail Cell
- Newly released videos show John Neville’s fatal injury in an 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
- 'I can't breathe' | Bodycam video shows moments leading up to John Neville's death
- 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
- North Carolina Man Told Corrections Officers "I Can't Breathe" Before Dying — VIDEO
- NC jails have known this position is deadly. So why was it used again?
- Care at NC jail was supposed to be ‘best in the nation.’ So why have inmates died?
- NC inmate held down by deputies had brain damage when brought to hospital, lawsuit says
- 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
- North Carolina grand jury indicts nurse but not corrections officers in death of jailed Black man
- '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
- Employees of Richland jail’s caregiver have been accused in deaths elsewhere
- 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
- $3M settlement awarded to John Neville’s family in custody death lawsuit
- 'An Unarmed, Defenseless Detainee': Family of Man Who Died After Being Hogtied in North Carolina Jail to Receive $3M Settlement
- Their dad was ‘the loudest in the room.’ They’ve quietly sought justice for his death
- Prosecutor Dismisses Last Criminal Charge in Inmate’s Death (Published 2023)
- NC jail inmate says headache became brain injury. His lawsuit isn’t the only one
- Forsyth County detention officer, fired during inmate's death investigation in 2019, rehired in 2024