Deputy saves life of inmate found hanging in jail

Information regarding a recent attempted suicide by hanging in the Evangeline Parish Jail was made public Thursday during a hearing that occurred in 13th Judicial District Judge Chuck West’s courtroom.
The incident, which inmate Brandon Perkins had reported to employees of the jail, was discussed in the courtroom during Perkins’ bond hearing.
The attempted suicide was brought up in an effort to attest to the character of Perkins, who was attempting to receive a lower bond. However, by the end of the hearing the judge ruled that Perkins’ bond would remain at $1,000,000.00 for his charge of second degree murder.
During the hearing, Deputy Barry Giglio, with the Evangeline Parish Sheriff’s Office, was called to the stand to share the events of the hanging that occurred early on Wednesday, August 29, 2018.
According to Deputy Giglio, he and several other of his colleagues were first alerted about the incident when they heard what he called “sever rattling” on a “jail gate.”
“We (employees of the jail) were discussing some normal business in the warden’s office when we heard some severe rattling on a jail gate, which was unusual for us to hear from that particular cell,” said Deputy Giglio. “So, we abruptly ran to the cell and Brandon Perkins (EPSO inmate) made us aware that he was under the impression that a man had died in the cell.”
After the law enforcement officers proceeded into the jail cell, Deputy Giglio testified that they observed “a white male hanging from the air condition duct by a bath towel.”
According to the deputy, the incident looked to be “attempted suicide.”
Deputy Giglio then outlined the events that led to saving the inmate’s life.
“When I arrived in the cell, I immediately checked for a pulse, which I didn’t find,” said Deputy Giglio. “Then I picked the gentleman up and had someone cut him down. Next we proceeded to lay him down and I immediately started CPR and he (inmate) recovered after about five or six compressions.”
The inmate found hanging, who has not been identified, was then transported to Mercy Regional Medical Center where he was treated for his injuries and recovered from the incident.