[Eagles Talon IV]

"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.

Authorities were unable to explain the presence of a five foot rope and a 6 foot step ladder found inside Reed's cell.

[Gondring]

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.

[DumpsterDiver]

Authorities were unable to explain the presence of a five foot rope and a 6 foot step ladder found inside Reed's cell.

Maybe this sentence from the article explains it:

Reed committed suicide after deputies took special care with the murder suspect.

And then here's my favorite quote:

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."

[Gondring]

Saturday afternoon around 1:25 p.m., a Marion County corrections officer discovered Reed had hung himself ...

My thought is that he hanged himself (even if self-implemented). If he'd just hung himself, there wouldn't be much of a story--they'd just get him down.