A murder suspect who led authorities to the buried body of his girlfriend Sunday apparently took his own life inhis Wise County Jail cell Wednesday night, sheriff's officials said.
Jailers found David Wayne Malone, 29, of Bowie hanging from a bedsheet in his single cell, Wise County Sheriff David Walker said.
Walker said Thursday that resuscitation efforts were made but that Malone was pronounced dead at Wise Regional Hospital a short time later. His body has been sent to Dallas for an autopsy. Walker said the death is believed to be a suicide.
Malone faced a murder charge in the death of his girlfriend, Samantha McNorton, 28.
Investigators found McNorton's buried body Nov. 18 in a remote location off Greenwood Road and County Road 2535 in Wise County after Malone, incarcerated on other charges, directed them to the spot.
Authorities have not released how McNorton was killed.
McNorton's family reported the mother of three children missing Nov. 14 to that Richland Hills Police Department.
Wise County sheriff's authorities joined in the investigation the next day after it was learned that she had last been seen with Malone on Nov. 2 at Runaway Bay in Wise County.
Malone was arrested Nov. 15 in Cooke County on outstanding felony warrants, including a warrant alleging sexual assault on McNorton. Walker said Malone had allegedly sexually assaulted McNorton in the Springtown area.
"Basically when she got out of the hospital, her family put her up with family members in Richland Hills," Walker said.
Investigators believe that McNorton and Malone got back together in late October or early November.
Walker said investigators discussed retaliation for the sexual assault charge as a motive in the slaying but "whether we could prove it or not, who knows."
Malone told WFAA/Channel 8 in a jailhouse interview that he killed McNorton in the heat of passion because he believed she was seeing other people.
"My thinking is it's a typical deal of 'If I can't have you, nobody else can,' which we've seen over and over in family violence and things of that nature," Walker said.
Walker said that Malone had shown no suicidal tendencies but that jailers checked on him every 30 minutes. Wednesday night, a jailer saw Malone talking on the phone 17 minutes before he was found hanging in his cell, Walker said. ..Source.. by Deanna Boyd
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