The uncle of a man who allegedly hung himself in the Lenoir County Detention Center earlier this week says his nephew’s death “doesn’t fit his character.”
The family of Matthew Powell, 39, of Pine Street in Kinston, said Friday that an autopsy already has been completed in Greenville and the body has been released to a local funeral home.
Elvis Washington, Powell’s uncle, said the incident at the jail happened either Wednesday or Thursday and family members were notified on Thursday of Powell’s death. The sheriff’s office hasn’t been as forthcoming with information as the family would like, Washington said, and family members are suspicious about what really happened.
“Most of our information is coming from other inmates,” Washington said.
Lenoir County Sheriff Chris Hill released a statement late Friday saying the incident happened on Thursday afternoon.
“On December 5, 2013 at approximately 3:48 p.m., a detention officer was moving an inmate from C pod into a cell in D pod in the new jail,” the sheriff said. “Once the inmate began to walk inside of Matthew Powell’s assigned cell in D pod, he observed that inmate Powell had hung himself and immediately called for the detention officer who had not yet exited D pod. The officer rushed to the cell to find Powell unresponsive, with a bed sheet wrapped around his throat and partially hanging from an upper bunk in the cell. A call to the 911 center was made to have EMS respond to the jail. Detention officers rushed to try and loosen the slip knot and provide the inmate medical assistance. Powell was released from the ligature and medical assistance was provided to the inmate. An in-house defibrillator was applied to Powell with no response from Powell. EMS arrived on the scene and determined that Powell was deceased and could not be revived. Inmate Powell was confined to the jail on December 3, 2013 on a child support charge.”
Hill said that as part of the investigation, the cell where the incident occurred was secured and was photographed. The bed sheet was collected and made available to the pathologist in Greenville. An autopsy of Powell was conducted on Friday and interviews were conducted of the jail staff and inmates assigned to D pod. In addition, all video data, and probe data (a location recording device) was collected for review.
The sheriff said that prior to the incident all of the inmates in D Pod were confined to their individual cells. Powell was assigned to a cell by himself. Powell was seen on video moving around his cell about 2 p.m. and his cell was last recorded as checked at 3:40 p.m.
Hill said sheriff’s investigators had some difficulty finding family members to notify.
“A review of Matthew Powell’s admission record indicated only one relative, which did not indicate a contact phone number or address,” Hill said. An officers wound up getting the name of a relative from a probation officer and found Powell’s ex-wife in Greene County late that night, also speaking to other relatives by phone after contacting her.
Hill said a report of the incident will be forwarded to the Department of Health and Human Services for review within the next 24 hours.
“This is unfortunate event that has occurred in the jail,” the sheriff said. “There is absolutely no evidence of foul play and we have deemed the incident a suicide. The reality is that incidents such as these occur in jails and prisons across our country. Although we try and take every precaution to keep suicides from occurring, we cannot always stop someone who is determined to take their own life.”
Washington said his family doesn’t believe Powell would have taken his own life.
“He’s not that type of person,” Washington said. “He was ready to go to school and get a job. “He believes in life. He was not emotionally distressed.”
Washington said he believes his nephew would not have been distraught about finances. Since Powell was living on Washington’s property, Washington believes Powell had no bills other than the contested child support.
Washington didn’t believe his nephew had an extensive criminal record, but a check of the state Department of Corrections website shows a criminal history. His most recent incarceration was for driving with a revoked license in 2002 and in February of this year. He also did a year and four months for giving false information in 1999, five months in 1999 for assault on a female, resisting an officer and assault with a deadly weapon. In 1996 he was convicted of indecent liberties with a child.
The family is stymied as to how the incident could happen in what is a new facility. The Lenoir County Detention Center has been in operation less than a year.
The incident “has been hush-hush,” Washington said.
Washington said they were told by the medical examiner an official cause of death would take up to six months.
Jennifer Shrader is the managing editor of The Free Press.You can reach her at 252-559-1079 or at Jennifer.Shrader@Kinston.com. Follow her on Twitter at jenjshrader.