Accused Serial Killer Facing Potential Federal Death Sentence Found Dead in His Jail Cell
Israel Keyes, a confessed serial killer held in Alaska, was found in his jail cell over the weekend in an apparent suicide, Reuters reports.
Anchorage law enforcement officials in a press conference said Keyes was found alone in his jail cell Sunday and that foul play was not suspected. They have not released the cause of his death.
Officials said Keyes admitted to killing 18-year-old Samantha Koenig after abducting her from an Anchorage espresso stand. He was arrested in Texas after using a debit card linked to the woman. Her body was later found in an iced-over lake near Anchorage.
Keyes also confessed to killing Bill and Lorraine Currier, a Vermont couple, and five other people he did not name, Reuters reports. Law enforcement described Keyes—a 34-year old Army veteran and carpenter—as a frequent, methodical traveler who was good at hiding and disposing of victims’ bodies.
A federal trial, with a possible death penalty, was slated to begin in March.
