A York County prison inmate accused of killing the mother of his child in Lower Paxton Township on Dec. 7 was found dead in his jail cell on Christmas eve morning.
According to a news release issued by York County Prison officials, 28-year-old James Earl Greer Jr. was found unresponsive in his cell around 3 a.m.
Greer was being held in York County Prison at the request of Dauphin County, the news release stated.
Greer was in jail for the strangling death of 32-year-old Heather Marie Bechtel, police said.
Investigators say that after killing Bechtel in her Rawleigh Street apartment, Greer tried unsuccessfully to poison himself. He was treated at a local hospital and released back into police custody.
A preliminary hearing for Greer was scheduled for Feb. 7.
An autopsy is scheduled for Thursday.
Pennsylvania State Police and the York County Coroner’s Office are investigating.
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