Boxing Champ Valero Kills Himself In Jail

Former lightweight champ Edwin Valero used his own clothes to hang himself from a bar in his cell early Monday morning according to Venezuelan Federal Police Chief Wilmer Flores. Valero's lawyer, Milda Mora, confirmed that Valero had committed suicide saying he used the sweat pants he was wearing.

Flores said Valero was found by another inmate, who alerted authorities in the police lockup. Valero was still alive when they took him down, but he died about 1:30 a.m., Flores said.

The 28-year-old was detained Sunday on suspicion of stabbing his 24-year-old wife to death. Prosecutors said Sunday night that they had planned to charge Valero in the killing.

Ed Donahue has the details...
((HT: Associated Press))
 

Jose Castillo, Valero's manager, criticized authorities for failing to act more forcefully to prevent the killing.

"I asked the authorities not to let him out. He needed a lot of help. He was very bad in the head," Castillo told reporters. "But they let him out. They were very permissive with him and because of that, we're now in the middle of this tragedy."

Milda Mora, however, said Valero "didn't accept the help the government gave him."