Where is AJ now? 'Unlocked: A Jail Experiment' inmate moved to solitary confinement following lockdown
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Hotline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS: Raymond Lovett aka AJ is currently in Varner Unit in Lincoln County, Arkansas serving his life sentence and hoping to establish a sense of community. During Netflix's 'Unlocked: A Jail Experiment', AJ was placed under suicide watch after he was feeling particularly impacted by the lockdown.
The Netflix show inmate spoke to the medical team and claimed that he was having thoughts of hurting himself. It was expected that the medical staff would change his medication and food but instead, they moved the inmate to solitary confinement. However, it was the second time that AJ was put into a 'hole'.
AJ shared in the confessional, "When I first got here, they took me straight to the hole and they had me on suicide watch for the first couple months because I actually attempted suicide." The Arkansas inmate elaborated, "I was sitting in the cop car, and there was this belt-buckle thing, and I just started slamming my head on it as hard as I could, and I spit my head open pretty bad." He added, "I had to go to the hospital and the stitches."
'Unlocked: A Jail Experiment' inmate AJ calls his unit 'heaven'
'Unlocked: A Jail Experiment' inmate AJ was excited and happy to return to the unit where Sheriff Eric Higgins' social program was taking place. He compared the unit with solitary confinement and called the H unit 'heaven'. He shared in the confessional, "It's nasty in the hole too. You have a bunk, but you don't have a mattress when you're on suicide watch."
AJ elaborated, "And they give you one blanket. You have no at to sleep on. I guess so you don't choke yourself out. You can't hurt yourself with it." He added, "Here is freaking heaven compared to the hole." The Netflix show inmate further noted, "I was thinking about this unit the whole time I was there and I was worried that they weren't gonna bring me back here."
Why was 'Unlocked: A Jail Experiment' inmate AJ arrested?
'Unlocked: A Jail Experiment' inmate AJ was arrested for capital murder and aggravated assault. He faced an additional 180 months for the firearm felony. In September 2022, AJ was at a hospital in Arkansas to pay a visit to his friend, Jade Pye. He suspected that Jade's fiance Leighton Delane Whitfield mistreated his friend.
The tension escalated and Leighton requested AJ to plug in his charger near the socket adjacent to where AJ was seated. The Netflix show inmate ignored the request and excused himself heading to the washroom. AJ then texted his stepmother admitting to his negative feelings.
He wrote in the text, "I should kill this boy right now. I’m standing two feet away from him. I’ve never shown this much restraint in my life." AJ then returned to the room with a gun and fired three shots into Leighton's chest and six shots into his back.
Catch 'Unlocked: A Jail Experiment' now on Netflix