TYLER, Texas — A man accused of killing his girlfriend and cooking parts of her body this year died Sunday after being found unresponsive in his jail cell.
Smith County Justice of the Peace James Meredith ordered an autopsy for Christopher McCuin.
Smith County Chief Deputy Gary Pinkerton said it didn’t appear McCuin’s death was suspicious, noting he was in a jail by himself. Meredith also said foul play wasn’t suspected.
The death is being investigated by the Texas Rangers.
McCuin, 26, of Tyler, was charged with capital murder in January in the death of Jana Shearer, 21, of Whitehouse. Police said they found an ear boiling in a pot on a stovetop at the crime scene and flesh on a plate, impaled on a fork at the kitchen table. Authorities say it was unclear whether McCuin consumed any part of the woman’s body.
