Posted on 06/12/2005 10:49:39 AM PDT by SmithL
A former Seymour man who was charged with murdering the 3-year-old son of his girlfriend killed himself in his Florida jail cell Saturday, authorities said.
Charles Edward Reed, 28, of Ocala, Fla., was charged about 10 p.m. Friday with first-degree murder and aggravated child abuse by the Marion County Sheriff's Office.
Saturday afternoon around 1:25 p.m., a Marion County corrections officer discovered Reed had hung himself in his cell, according to Marion County Sheriff's Office spokesman Capt. Dennis Strow.
He was pronounced dead at the scene, Strow said.
The incident began about 3:35 a.m. Friday when deputies were called to an unresponsive child at a residence in Ocala, according to Strow.
The deputy who responded found Matthew Lynne May unresponsive lying on the couch. He performed CPR until emergency medical personnel arrived.
Matthew was taken to a nearby hospital.
The initial investigation determined the child's mother, Crystal, had left Matthew with Reed while she worked.
She discovered her son unresponsive when she returned home, Strow said.
"The child had obvious trauma to his body," said a statement released by the sheriff's office.
Joe May, who identified himself to the News Sentinel as Matthew's uncle, said he spoke to the lead investigator several times in the past 48 hours.
He was told the 6-foot-1, 270-pound Reed had scalded Matthew all over his body and then beat him.
"He said there was great trauma to his body," Joe May said.
Joe May said Matthew's mother had left East Tennessee in the past month or so and had traveled around the country with Reed and her son before the three recently settled in Florida.
Strow said Reed had lived at his current Ocala address for approximately two weeks.
He said Marion County authorities initially arrested Reed on a violation of probation charge out of Tennessee before the investigation led to the murder and abuse charges.
Reed committed suicide after deputies took special care with the murder suspect.
Due to the nature of the charge, he was placed in protective custody and checked on every 30 minutes, Strow said.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is handling the investigation into Reed's death at the request of Marion County Sheriff Ed Dean, Strow said.
Joe May said news of Reed's death was bittersweet.
"I don't feel a bit better," he said. "If the inmates would have beat his eyes out, maybe that would have done it, but I don't feel a bit better."
Joe May said Reed had lived in Seymour. Matthew's father, Larry May, lives in Anderson County.
Strow said the investigation into the child's death continues.
Matthew May, 3, was found scalded and beaten to death in Ocala, Fla., on Friday. His mother’s boyfriend, former Seymour resident Charles Edward Reed, hanged himself in his jail cell Saturday after being arrested and charged with first-degree murder and aggravated child abuse.
Well deserved dirtnap.
Saving taxpayer's money too!
Too good for him.
Who said there isn't a God! Thank you Lord, please touch these kind of sick individuals more and send them home to satan, Amen.
First-degree murder over third-degree burns? If this guy was the guilty party, then it sounds like all ended well. I hope it doesn't upset the "life-at-all-costs" crowd, but I just can't see stopping a person from offing himself if he wants. The whole "denied the State the right to exact its own justice" claim doesn't really fly with me.
Nor with me.
Authorities were unable to explain the presence of a five foot rope and a 6 foot step ladder found inside Reed's cell.
Well, if he did it himself, then I don't mind implements being provided... :-) But there is the problem of suspects being "helped" in their "wanting to die"... and that's wrong.
Yes, yes of course you are correct....except in cases like this one.
With what?
"A former Seymour man who was charged with murdering the 3-year-old son of his girlfriend killed himself in his Florida jail cell Saturday, authorities said."
Excellent. This sort of thing is always welcome news.
I would like to see thousands upon thousands of other violent criminals follow Reed's lead.
This should be an option for all rapists, murders, pedophiles, etc. We can install a do-it-yourself hanging room in all our prisons. The inmates can always know when life gets too tough in the lock-up, they can trundle off to the hanging room and remove themselves from the face of the earth. Prisoners should have options. Who says I'm not pro-choice? This would have the added benefit of saving us taxpayers quite a lot of money.
Longbow
"Don't you care about the sanctity of life?!? </sarc>"
In cases involving criminals like Reed and his ilk, I'm all culture of death. Bring on the hanging rooms ;)
Longbow
What kind of a "mother" takes up with a creep like that?
Bedhseet, pillow case, shoestring, belt...
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