Detective gives more details on inmate’s apparent suicide

By Candice Nelson
WSLS10 Reporter
Published: June 22, 2008

Police are investigating the death of a murder suspect after he is found dead inside his jail cell.  A Roanoke County deputy found Brian Sheppard of Christiansburg dead inside his cell just after noon on Saturday in the Roanoke County-Salem Jail.

Brian Sheppard had been in the jail since April 29th when police say he shot and killed James “Rich” Fleshman, Jr. outside a Salem Food Lion.

But it was Sheppard’s own life police say he took on Saturday.

“Deputies got him down and performed CPR for several minutes until the ambulance arrived where he was transported to Lewis-Gale Medical Center. He was pronounced dead at Lewis-Gale,” said Detective C.S. Welch with Roanoke County Police.

Welch said Sheppard used shoelaces to hang himself. Another inmate saw Sheppard through the cell door. That’s when he told deputies to check on Sheppard.

“The inmates were all coming out for lunch and when Mr. Shepherd did not come out of his cell, another inmate looked in and saw him,” Welch said.

Welch also said that Sheppard had a cell to himself, and earlier in the day, nothing seemed suspicious to workers in the jail.

“A deputy had seen him alive and well in his cell less than an hour before he was found in his cell hanging,” Welch said.

Sheppard’s body has been sent to the medical examiner’s office for an autopsy while police investigate his death.

Welch said the shoelaces came from a pair of shoes already in Sheppard’s cell.

Captain Barry Tayloe, Corrections Administrator for the Roanoke County Sheriff’s Office, said inmates are allowed to have shoes with shoelaces unless they show any signs they might commit suicide or have a history of attempting suicide.  Tayloe says Sheppard did not show any signs he was suicidal.

Sheppard was due in court on Friday.