Jail Officials: Inmate Set Himself On Fire

FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — An internal affairs investigation is under way to determine how a high-profile Fulton County inmate set himself on fire.

Jeremy Moody, who has been charged with the murders of two teenagers, is at Grady Memorial Hospital after he suffered burns to over 60 percent of his body, according to his family.

Moody's family said a jail employee told them a guard doused the inmate with a flammable substance and then set him on fire. The jail disputes that and said Moody set himself on fire. The inmate's brother said there's no way his brother would do that.

"Setting himself on fire would just not be something that he would do," said Moody's brother, Jason Moody Jr.

Jason Moody Jr. wants an outside agency to look into how his brother Jeremy suffered burns over 60 percent of his body while in a Fulton County Jail cell.

"I think that someone independent would be able to be objective," said Moody.

Moody's mother said a jail employee told her that a guard doused Moody with an accelerant and then set him on fire.

Moody is charged with the murders of 15-year-old Del Mattox and his 13-year-old cousin, Chrisondra Kimble, in April 2007.

Moody would often call Channel 2 Action News reporter Tom Jones to complain about jail conditions. He said guards would often torture him because he's accused of killing children. He also said the guards routinely gave him a hard time.

In a previous interview, Jeremy Moody said, "So I hadn't broken any jailhouse rules or anything. So I'm made to suffer for no apparent reason."

Jail officials told Jones then that Moody was suicidal and that no one had harmed him.

A jail representative said Moody set himself on fire and an internal affairs investigation would determine how.

A source inside the jail told Jones that Moody used a lighter. Jason Moody Jr. said if that's true, the jail is still responsible.

"If they're saying he burned himself…he's still under their watch, their care," said Moody.

The jail said inmates are monitored closely but they cannot monitor them constantly. A jail source also told Jones that Moody set himself on fire to avoid his upcoming trial.

Moody's trial was scheduled to start in the spring, but it's not clear how the burns will affect the trial date.

WSBTV