4 inmates, 2 others indicted on murder conspiracy charges related to deadly overdose at Davidson County jail
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — One year after it began, an ongoing investigation into the drugs in Nashville’s jail system has led to a new indictment of six people — including four inmates, a former correctional officer, and a woman — for multiple charges, including conspiracy to commit murder.
The Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) said detectives from its Specialized Investigations Division’s Neighborhood Safety Overdose Unit, with some help from the Davidson County Sheriff’s Office’s Investigative Services Unit, started scrutinizing the jail system after an autopsy revealed that Daniel Prisco, an 18-year-old inmate who was found unresponsive in his cell at the Harding Place facility on Sept. 19, 2023, died of acute fentanyl toxicity.
At the time of his death, officials said Prisco was under indictment and awaiting court proceedings for two counts of felony aggravated assault and two counts of felony reckless endangerment.
Over the past several months, authorities said their investigation revealed a network of inmates and two other people who conspired to introduce drugs into the jail system and distribute them.
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According to police, 30-year-old Emmanuel Webb, an inmate who is awaiting trial for a first-degree murder indictment from 2023, is accused of working with his associate on the outside, 28-year-old Devin Popejoy, to get drugs into jail facilities. Popejoy allegedly set up drug-related conference calls between Webb and third parties during his jailhouse calls to her, among other things.
In the new indictment, Webb is charged with conspiracy to commit second-degree murder, engaging in a fentanyl delivery conspiracy, two counts of conspiracy to distribute contraband in a penal institution, and two counts of fentanyl delivery, officials said. Meanwhile, Popejoy is charged with conspiracy to commit second-degree murder, engaging in a fentanyl delivery conspiracy, and conspiracy to distribute contraband in a penal institution.
Webb and Popejoy were reportedly indicted in July on felony meth and fentanyl charges. Authorities said Popejoy was free on bond in that case before she surrendered on the new indictment on Thursday, Sept. 5.
A former Davidson County correctional officer, 23-year-old Charles Kelley, is also among those indicted in this new case, MNPD said. He was taken into custody along Masonwood Drive Thursday night for conspiracy to commit second-degree murder, engaging in a fentanyl delivery conspiracy, fentanyl delivery, conspiracy to deliver contraband into a penal facility, and delivering contraband.
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Kelley served with the Davidson County Sheriff’s Office for less than a year, according to officials, but he was employed by the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office at the time of his arrest.
The Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office said Kelley had been employed as a correctional officer since February, but he was terminated the same night he was taken into custody.
“This individual’s actions are a grave betrayal of the trust placed in them by this community and our department,” Davidson County Sheriff Daron Hall stated. “We are committed to ensuring that those who are supposed to uphold the law are held accountable for their actions. We will continue to pursue and prosecute anyone involved in such criminal behavior with the full extent of the law.”
Other current inmates named in the new indictment include 28-year-old William Sigsby and 38-year-old Joshua Young, both of whom are both charged with conspiracy to commit second-degree murder, engaging in a fentanyl conspiracy, fentanyl delivery, delivering contraband, and conspiracy to introduce contraband into a penal facility, authorities said.
Emmanuel Webb (Source: MNPD) Devin Popejoy (Source: MNPD) Charles Kelley (Source: MNPD) William Sigsby (Source: MNPD) Joshua Young (Source: MNPD) Matthew Calhoun (Source: MNPD)
In addition, police reported 27-year-old Matthew Calhoun, a former Davidson County inmate who is currently being held at the Bledsoe County Correctional Facility, is facing charges for conspiracy to commit second-degree murder, engaging in a fentanyl conspiracy, and conspiracy to distribute contraband in a penal institution from the new indictment.
No additional details have been released about this investigation.
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