Ohio Man Caused Cellmate's Overdose At Jail: Prosecutors

CLEVELAND — An Ohio man has been accused of causing the overdose death of his cellmate at the Cuyahoga County Jail, prosecutors announced.

Christopher Neal, 31, of Euclid, was indicted by a grand jury on Thursday, Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael O'Malley announced. He said Neal faces charges for the overdose and other crimes committed at the Cuyahoga County Jail.

“This case was solved due to the diligent work of the Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Department,” O’Malley said.

On Aug. 30, 2020, Neal's cellmate was found unconscious in his cell. The jail's medical personnel gave the man first aid, but he was declared dead soon after his discovery.

The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's office ruled that the man had died due to an overdose of fentanyl, an opioid.

On Aug. 21, 2020, Neal had been arrested and booked into Cuyahoga County Jail. Prosecutors believe he smuggled drugs into the facility and then gave the drugs to his cellmate.

The Cuyahoga County sheriffs investigated Neal for months, prosecutors said. He was then indicted on the following charges:

• One count of involuntary manslaughter
• One count of corrupting another with drugs
• One count of illegal conveyance into detention facility
• One count of tampering with evidence
• One count of trafficking
• One count of drug possession

Neal is currently being held at the Cuyahoga County Jail. He also faces charges in an unrelated drug case, prosecutors said.