Ohio says death row inmate died by hanging himself in cell
The Ohio State Highway Patrol says a death row inmate who killed himself was found hanging in his cell.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - The Ohio State Highway Patrol says a death row inmate who killed himself was found hanging in his cell.
The patrol says condemned killer Patrick Leonard was pronounced dead at Adena Hospital in Chillicothe (chihl-ih-KAHTH'-ee) on Sunday.
The Ross County coroner's office said Wednesday that the preliminary cause of death was strangulation. Neither agency said what Leonard used to hang himself with.
Leonard was sentenced to death for the 2000 killing of his ex-girlfriend, 23-year-old Dawn Flick, in Hamilton County.
Court records say the 47-year-old Leonard was angry at Flick for ending their relationship and refusing to reconcile.
Leonard didn't have a scheduled execution date.
Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters, a critic of execution delays, said: "Finally someone on death row has died."
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