Wichita Falls murder suspect dies while awaiting trial
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A man indicted for the murder of his wife has died while awaiting trial.
Cedric Sartin, 65, died March 25 while in custody of the Wichita County Sheriff’s Office. Although he was in custody, Sartin died at Hospice of Wichita Falls.
Sartin had been charged and indicted in the shooting death of Joan Frank, 62.
Her daughter found her dead in a bathtub at her home in Tanglewood on July 4, 2023, according to allegations in court documents. The daughter told police she witnessed Sartin shoot Frank in the face as she bathed before going into a bedroom and shooting himself in the head.
Sartin was taken to John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth. After treatment there, Sartin was brought back to the Wichita County Jail where he was held in lieu of $750,000 bail.
According to a custodial death report the Sheriff’s Office filed with the state attorney general, Sartin was taken to the emergency room at United Regional on March 21. He was suffering from shortness of breath and respiratory distress. After signing a Do Not Resuscitate Order, he was taken to the hospice facility March 25 where he died later in the day.
The sheriff’s report noted that Sartin had a bilateral lung transplant before being taken into custody. The Texas Rangers were notified of the death, and an autopsy was ordered by the justice of the peace. Those results are still pending.
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This article originally appeared on Wichita Falls Times Record News: Wichita Falls murder suspect dies while awaiting trial
