PHOENIX — The Maricopa County Attorney's Office has declined to prosecute a man arrested in connection with the death of a fellow inmate at the Lower Buckeye Jail in Phoenix, saying there is no reasonable likelihood of overcoming a self-defense claim.
"This case was turned down. The submittal was reviewed by prosecutors and based on the evidence available there is no reasonable likelihood of overcoming a self-defense claim," a spokesperson for the Maricopa County Attorney's Office said.
Emmanuel Chandiga, 38, was arrested and booked by the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office on October 9, 2026, for one count of second-degree murder for an incident that occurred in March of 2026.
While the victim's identity has not been confirmed in court records, the MCSO jail death site lists 47-year-old Jowuan Hunt as an inmate who died at Lower Buckeye Jail on March 3, 2026, and the Maricopa County Medical Examiner's Office ruled the death of 47-year-old Jowuan Roumell Hunt on that date as a homicide.
Court records said on March 3, 2026, MCSO detention officers were conducting a security check at the Lower Buckeye Jail when an officer heard muffled noises coming from a cell. Records say the officer observed Chandiga on top of the victim, who was face down, and additional officers arrived to find Chandiga straddling the victim's back with his hands extended, appearing to hold the back of the victim's neck.
Commands were given to Chandiga to get off the victim, but he did not initially comply. Officers entered the cell and drew a Taser. The victim was unresponsive with a faint pulse. Medical personnel were summoned, and the victim was transported to Banner University Medical Center, where he was pronounced deceased.
Records say detectives received the final medical examiner's report on October 8, 2026. The cause of death was determined to be mixed modality trauma, including strangulation, with the manner of death ruled homicide. Findings included strangulation and blunt force trauma, rib fractures with muscle hemorrhage, petechial hemorrhage in the right eye, and a fracture of the thyroid cartilage.
Records say Chandiga told detectives the victim struck him while he was sleeping on the bottom bunk and that he stood up and kicked the victim twice in the body. He said the victim threw him during the altercation and that he "threw" the victim to the ground.
Chandiga said he was on top of the victim when officers arrived, that he did not hit the victim while they were on the ground, and that he believed the victim wanted to kill him. Detectives processed the scene and observed blood evidence within the cell consistent with a physical altercation.
No weapons were discovered. All inmates in the pod were secured in their cells at the time, according to MCSO, and no witnesses to the altercation were located. No other individuals were inside the cell except Chandiga and the victim.
Records say detectives also learned Chandiga was originally arrested by the Phoenix Police Department on February 20, 2026, on an assault charge and moved to the Lower Buckeye Jail on February 21, 2026, after receiving a disciplinary action report for manipulating housing assignments and refusing to obey direct orders. On February 22, 2026, he was allegedly involved in a separate altercation with a different cellmate, was charged with misdemeanor assault for biting that cellmate, and was sentenced to 7 days in jail.
A spokesperson for MCSO told ABC15 they prepare the cases to submit to MCAO and then respect the County Attorney's Office's decisions.
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