A 20-year-old male inmate facing homicide charges attempted suicide by trying to hang himself in the shower of the Dane County Jail early Thursday, the Sheriff's Office said.
A deputy was able to free the inmate from Stillwater, Minn., from the jail-issued uniform pants he attempted to hang himself with after another inmate alerted him to the situation around 5:24 a.m. The Sheriff's Office said the inmate who attempted suicide was conscious and alert at the time of the rescue.
The inmate was transported to UW Hospital by the Madison Fire Rescue for evaluation and returned to the jail. At the time of the suicide attempt, the inmate was being housed in a special needs portion of the jail and he is now being housed in segregation under suicide watch.
Sheriff's officials would not confirm if the inmate was 20-year-old Adam Peterson of Stillwater, Minn., who is currently awaiting trial on first-degree intentional homicide charges in the death of Joel Marino Jan. 28. Officials at UW Hospital said Peterson was discharged from the hospital but did not reveal when.
Marino was found stabbed in an alley on South Park Street and later died at UW Hospital. DNA found on a cap, backpack and knife at the crime scene led Madison Police detectives to Peterson, a former UW-Madison student, after a five-month investigation.
Police said they flagged Peterson's behavior as suspicious after he reported his laptop stolen in January and again in February. Eventually, police checked on Peterson at his West Main Street apartment after his roommates called police with concerns.
Peterson is being held on a $1 million cash bail and his trial is scheduled to begin in January 2009.
