Inmate once wrongfully accused of killing 7-year-old Jazmine Barnes killed himself behind bars
An inmate whose photo went viral on social media as a possible suspect in the murder of 7-year-old Jazmine Barnes was found dead in his cell months later.
Robert Paul Cantrell, 49, was found by staff at the Montgomery County Jail early on Tuesday, July 23. He was hanged in an apparent suicide. Staff tried to revive him and perform CPR, but all life-saving attempts were unsuccessful.
Cantrell was in jail on a charge of robbery-evading.
Cantrell was wrongly accused in the shooting death of Jazmine earlier this year, stemming from a now-deleted Twitter post by activist Shaun King. Cantrell resembled the sketch initially released of the suspect in Jazmine's murder, but he was never charged.
Two other men, Eric Black and Larry Woodruffe, are charged with capital murder for the Dec. 30, 2018, shooting death of the 7-year-old.
Cantrell's cause of death is under investigation and is pending autopsy/toxicology reports.
