Brian Ferry

Convicted murderer Brian Ferry was found dead in his cell early Saturday morning at the Pima County Adult Detention Complex, according to the Pima County Sheriff’s Department.

Ferry, 47, was convicted in May of killing Charles Russell, 58 and Catherine Nelson, 42, after they drove from Phoenix in 2002 to buy a motorcycle from Ferry.  He lured them to Tucson with a fake advertisement and they were never heard from again.

Corrections officers found Ferry around 1:30 a.m. unresponsive in his cell and began administering emergency life-saving procedures as they waited for Tucson Fire Department to arrive, deputies said.

After attempts to resuscitate Ferry failed, the medical team pronounced him dead. Further investigation by homicide detectives determined his death was a suicide, deputies said.

Ferry, who had a criminal history, was found guilty by a jury after the first trial ended in a hung jury.


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