After man dies in Washington Parish jail, 2 inmates booked in his homicide, sheriff says – The Advocate

Two men at the Washington Parish Jail recently gave drugs to a third incarcerated man who died Thursday after taking them, authorities alleged the following afternoon.

Washington Parish Sheriff Randy Seal said Friday that Prentis N. Slocum, 42 of Columbia, Miss., and Cameron James Roy Seal, 21 of Washington Parish, will face counts of second degree murder and principal to second degree murder, respectively, for the death of Brandon Christopher Williams, 31, of Bogalusa.

A spokesman for the Sheriff's Office said Williams started showing signs of "medical distress" around 2 p.m. Thursday and was removed from the jail's housing unit by deputies and a registered nurse. Northshore EMS took him to Riverside Medical Center in Franklinton, the sheriff's office said.

Williams, whom the agency did not identify until Friday, later died at the hospital.

The sheriff's office said Friday that Slocum was transferred to Washington Parish on Tuesday from the Pike County, Miss., jail, and had "narcotics" concealed "inside his body" when he arrived in Louisiana, which he allegedly later gave to Williams and Seal before Williams died.

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All three men had adverse reactions to the narcotics, the office said.

Williams had been in the Washington Parish Jail awaiting trial since July 2021, on home invasion and other counts, the sheriff said. Seal, according to the sheriff's office, had been in custody there since Jan. 31 on a contempt of court count.

Other people may face criminal counts for Williams' death, the sheriff's office said.

Lawyers for Seal and Slocum could not immediately be reached for comment Friday evening.

An ongoing coroner's exam on Williams' body will determine the exact cause of death, the sheriff's office said.

James Finn writes for The Advocate as a Report For America corps member. Email him at JFinn@theadvocate.com or follow him on Twitter @RJamesFinn.

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After man dies in Washington Parish jail, 2 inmates booked in his homicide, sheriff says - The Advocate