Officials say he hung himself
CLARKSBURG, Md. (AP) — The man accused of killing his pregnant girlfriend has been found dead in his Maryland cell the day opening statements were expected to begin.
News outlets report 33-year-old Tyler Tessier was found dead of apparent suicide early Thursday at Montgomery County Correctional Facility, a year after Laura Wallen’s body was found in a shallow grave. A medical examiner determined that Wallen’s fetus was around 14 weeks old at the time of her death.
County corrections director Robert Green tells The Washington Post that initial findings indicate Tessier hung himself. Green says Tessier was housed in protective custody and had just returned from showering ahead of traveling to the courthouse.
Public defender Allen Wolf previously said Tessier “cared deeply” about Wallen. Tessier had pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder.