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Man convicted of killing Phoenix couple found dead in jail

Posted at 12:59 PM, Jun 17, 2018
and last updated 2018-06-18 07:53:34-04

Authorities say a man awaiting sentencing after being convicted of killing a Phoenix more than 16 years ago has been found dead in a Tucson jail cell.

Pima County Sheriff's officials say homicide detectives have determined 47-year-old Brian Ferry's death was a suicide.

They say corrections officers found Ferry unresponsive in his cell at the county's Adult Detention Complex about 1:30 a.m. Saturday.

Ferry was found guilty May 16 of two counts of first-degree murder.

Court records show he was scheduled to be sentenced July 23.

Authorities say Charles Russell and Catherine Nelson were last seen in February 2002 when they traveled from Phoenix to Tucson to buy a motorcycle from Ferry.

Their bodies have never been found, but authorities say Ferry's DNA was later found in the couple's truck.