Convicted murderer Billy Slagle, who was found hanged in his Chillicothe, Ohio, prison cell Sunday morning, was set to be put on suicide watch this morning, reports the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Slagle, 44, killed his neighbor Mari Anne Pope, 40, in her Cleveland home during a burglary in 1987. He was scheduled to be executed Wednesday.
The Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction places death row inmates on suicide watch 72 hours before their scheduled execution, said a state spokeswoman. Officials have not released details about Slagle’s death. An autopsy was planned. Slagle’s defense team had no warning that he might commit suicide, one of his public defenders told the Associated Press.