A man convicted of killing two women in Mississippi and sparking a multi-state manhunt in 2017 has been found dead at Central Mississippi Correctional Facility.
Alex Deaton was serving a life sentence for the murders of his girlfriend, Heather Robinson, in Rankin County and Brenda Pinter in Neshoba County.
He pleaded guilty in both cases.
According to Rankin County Coroner David Ruth, Deaton was found dead on Saturday, June 14.
Deaton’s body has been sent to the State Medical Examiner’s Office for an autopsy.
Investigators said the violent crime spree began in February 2017 when Deaton strangled Robinson and stole her SUV. He then shot and injured a jogger near her home before traveling to Neshoba County, where he killed Pinter inside Dixon Baptist Church.
Deaton’s actions led to a nationwide manhunt. While on the run from authorities, he carjacked a couple in New Mexico, shooting one of them, then traveled to Kansas, where he stole a vehicle from a store clerk at gunpoint. He was eventually captured after a high-speed chase near Pratt, Kansas.
Authorities have not yet released a cause of death.
