Arcadia suspect dies in jail

The 68 year-old Arcadia man who was a suspect in the brutal stabbing death of his daughter-in-law Tuesday was found hanging in his jail cell a day later.

Spokesmen for Arcadia police and L.A. County Sheriff confirmed to ArcadiasBest.com that Li Zhu died Wednesday night at the Twin Towers Correctional Facility at 450 Bauchett Street in Los Angeles.

He was scheduled for an arraignment Thursday at Pasadena Superior Court. Zhu apparently killed himself. He was pronounced dead at before 10 p.m. Jan. 8. An autopsy is pending.

“Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau detectives have learned that Li Zhu, died due to an apparent suicide,” Deputy Irys Alvarez said in a statement. Sheriff homicide detectives were called in due to the inmate death; they are not involved with the Arcadia homicide investigation.

Typically the Arcadia Police do not hold prisoners in the local jail for long periods, especially if there is a pending arraignment and investigation. Prisoners can also be transferred to County Jail if the inmate requires special medical needs.

Zhu was the prime suspect in the Tuesday morning (Jan. 7) stabbing death in the 900 block of Arcadia Avenue of 41-year-old Xiaolin Li. She was pronounced dead at Huntington Memorial Hospital. Zhu was quickly taken into custody and initially held at the Arcadia jail with bail set at $1 million.

Police said the motive appeared to be related to an on-going dispute within the family. A commenter on ArcadiasBest.com said the two were arguing over money and that Li’s son was in the room with the mother when she was being killed.

— By Scott Hettrick