One of the breakout stars of the controversial Netflix documentary series Unlocked has died at the age of 29, just 30 days before its release.
John ‘Eastside’ McAllister was found dead in his bunk at the Pulaski Correctional Center in Arkansas on Sunday, June 2, authorities said. His family said the cause of the inmate’s death has not been established.
The premise of Unlocked: A Prison Experiment granted inmates a degree of independence and autonomy within the prison. The eight-episode series began airing in April.
Authorities said McAllister was rushed to Jefferson Regional Medical Center in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, where he was pronounced dead shortly before 9:00 a.m.
Officials have ruled out murder and suicide, reports KATV.
John McAllister, 29, photographed while filming Netflix’s Unlocked.
McAllister’s humor in the face of such grim conditions made him a fan favorite of the show.
McAllister was serving time for ten felony drug charges, burglary, theft of property and weapons possession. He pleaded guilty in 2023 and was sentenced to three years in prison.
The late inmate had a long criminal history dating back to when he was 19 years old. He had done 14 different stretches behind bars.
In the show, McAllister appears running a tattoo parlor inside his prison cell.
During one episode, he explained that being on the wrong side of the law gave him an “adrenaline rush” and that he spent his life surrounded by criminals.
TO GoFundMe page has been created for McAllister by his aunt, Melissa Regan. As of this writing, the page has raised $340 of a goal of $15,000.
The money will be used to pay for McAllister’s funeral and to transport his remains to family in Omaha, Nebraska.
‘His sudden passing has left our family devastated. “The cause of his death is under investigation,” a section of the page reads.
The family says a celebration of life will be held for the public.
In a 2016 Facebook post, his aunt accused McAllister and his girlfriend of stealing a variety of electronic devices from her home, including an XBox and a laptop. Her aunt said her nephew was struggling with a methamphetamine addiction at the time.
On his Facebook, McAllister said he attended Omaha North Magnet High School in Nebraska and had lived in Vilonia, Arkansas, prior to his incarceration, as of August 2021.
On the show, McAllister operated a tattoo parlor out of his prison cell.
On a GoFundMe page set up by his family, his aunt said family members were shocked by McAllister’s sudden death.
Last month, Pulaski County Sheriff Eric Higgins defended the decision to allow the series to film in the county jail.
The decision has drawn scrutiny from local and state officials, who said they were unaware of the series until shortly before its premiere.
The series focuses on a six-week experiment that gave ward inmates more freedom by opening their cell doors. Higgins said she did not approach Netflix or Lucky 8, the production company that filmed it, about the series.
“I have taken steps to ensure that we have a reentry program to help those who are booked into our facilities come out and be better people,” Higgins told members of the Joint Performance Review Committee.
Republican Sen. Jonathan Dismang said he has no problem with the sheriff’s reentry program or trying something new to address recidivism.
But he said he was concerned it was the focus of a show and questioned how it could be considered an experiment if it was being filmed.
“I think it’s exploitative of their prisoners that they would allow a film crew in,” Dismang said.
Unlocked: A Jail Experiment follows an experiment conducted by Pulaski County Sheriff Eric Higgins in which inmates are apparently allowed to roam freely inside the Pulaski County Jail in Little Rock.
Arkansas officials are investigating a $60,000 payment made by the producers of Netflix’s controversial documentary series Unlocked.
Another Republican lawmaker said he was concerned about what the show would do to the state’s reputation, comparing it to a 1994 HBO documentary about gangs in Little Rock.
“For most people who watched this documentary series, this is the first time they have been exposed to Pulaski County, or perhaps the state of Arkansas,” said Rep. David Ray.
“I’m concerned about the brand damage our state suffers from this being other people’s first perception of our state.”
Pulaski County Judge Barry Hyde, the county’s top elected administrator, said he wasn’t aware of the series until he saw a trailer before it premiered.
Hyde has said that the agreement between the sheriff and the production company was illegal because Hyde did not sign it. The county has since returned a $60,000 check from the production company that filmed the series.
Higgins, a Democrat who was first elected in 2018 and is the county’s first Black sheriff, has had the support of some community members.
The Little Rock chapter of the NAACP supported Higgins’ decision, and the sheriff’s supporters filled a committee room for Tuesday’s hearing.
Democratic Sen. Linda Chesterfield said Higgins’ supporters are looking for “someone who will provide humane treatment to people who have been treated inhumanely.”
“We’re looking at this through different lenses and it’s important that we respect the lenses through which we view it,” Chesterfield said.