Alabama man charged with capital murder commits suicide in county jail, sheriff says

Kelby Hutchison
·2 min read
5

A Phenix City man charged with capital murder in Alabama committed suicide Sunday morning in the Russell County jail, according to sheriff Heath Taylor.

Guards called the sheriff’s office around 1:45 a.m. Sunday about an inmate who needed emergency care.

The man, who Taylor identified in a Sunday afternoon press conference as Bradley Wayne Stokes, 39, died after hanging himself using torn strips of bed sheets.

Taylor said Stokes was initially on suicide watch when he was arrested because of the severe nature of his criminal charges. Stokes was taken off of suicide watch after an office psychiatrist cleared him Sept. 9.

Health professionals perform a mental health check on inmates who have been cleared from suicide watch if they demonstrate any concerning behavior or if they ask for a mental health check.

Inmates on suicide watched are checked by guards every 15-20 minutes, while guards check other inmates every 2-3 hours.

Taylor said that officers checked on Stokes around 11 Saturday night. Stokes made phone calls and sent texts throughout the night to loved ones, including his mother and girlfriend, using an iPad.

Taylor said a note from Stokes was found taped to the wall of his cell using a band-aid.

According to national and local media reports, Stokes was arrested Sept. 2 in Columbus in connection with the death of his pregnant ex-girlfriend, Treasure Hennessey, 37.

Stokes had been released from prison after serving 14 years of a 16-year sentence for weapons charges and manslaughter for the 2008 shooting death of his then-girlfriend Crystal Bailey, according to Newsweek.

Stokes allegedly killed Hennessey because he feared she would report him for domestic violence, which would violate his parole, Taylor said.

Hennessey’s body was found outside of a domestic violence safe house in Fort Mitchell, Alabama where she was seeking refuge, Newsweek reported.

The Lee County Sheriff’s Office is investigating Stokes’ death, according to Taylor.