Syracuse, N.Y. — A man who authorities say hanged himself last week in the Onondaga County Justice Center jail has been identified by the sheriff’s office.
Paul Watkins, 38, of Clay died by suicide Thursday night, the Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office said Monday.
Watkins had only been in jail for a week after the Cicero police department arrested him on a second-degree criminal contempt charge on Dec. 9, the sheriff’s officials said. The charge is a misdemeanor.
Watkins was found unresponsive in his cell 11:30 p.m. Thursday after strangling himself with a bedsheet, officials said.
CPR was performed and Watkins was taken to Crouse Hospital where he was pronounced dead, they said.
The sheriff’s office has notified the state Attorney General’s Office and the state Commission of Corrections who will investigate the in-custody death.
This is the second suicide at the jail this year. Angela Peng hanged herself with a bedsheet on Sept. 3.
The investigation into Peng’s death is still pending.
Staff writer Rylee Kirk covers breaking news, crime and public safety. Have a tip, a story idea, a question or a comment? Reach her at 315-396-5961, on twitter @kirk_rylee, or rkirk@syracuse.com.