Netflix Star Found Dead in Prison Cell: John 'Eastside' McAllister Was 29

John 'Eastside' McAllister was part of a Netflix docuseries.

By Brenda Alexander

John "Eastside" McAllister, a subject from Netflix's Unlocked: A Jail Experiment filmed inside the Pulaski County Jail, has died. He was an inmate at the Randall L. Williams Correctional Facility in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. The 29-year-old was reportedly found unresponsive in his cell, RadarOnline.com reports, just a month before his expected release. He was transported to a local medical facility where he died. No foul play or suicide is suspected. However, a manner of death has yet to be determined. 

McAllister was serving a three-year sentence for charges related to drugs and theft. His family has set up an online fundraiser to assist with costs. "His sudden passing has left our family devastated," McAllister's aunt, Melissa Regan, wrote in a GoFundMe campaign. "The cause of his death is under investigation."

The Netflix special premiered in April 2023. The series documented a six-week social experiment proposed by local sheriff Eric Higgins. In the experiment, inmates stayed in one prison block had their cell doors left unlocked, and were granted a bit more independence. McAllister ran a tattoo parlor out of his cell. The series was met with criticism from public officials. 

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Pulaski County Judge Barry Hyde was in opposition, claiming he never signed off on the project. He says he learned about it when he saw the trailer posted online. "This is a reckless decision by the Pulaski County Sheriff and highlights the need for our new state prison to keep repeat violent offenders off our streets and our communities safe," Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement about the project. 

Higgins defended the experiment. "We can do things differently," he said. "We can create a community that's a safer community, not only for the deputies, but for the detainees," he said in a news conference. 

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