Inmate hangs himself after being questioned about 2016 homicide

A man was found hanging in a jail cell after investigators attempted to question him about a 2016 homicide, the McIntosh County sheriff said.

Jail staff found Bobby Parsons hanging in his cell about 4 p.m. Friday, Sheriff Kevin Ledbetter said.

Parsons died Saturday in a Tulsa hospital.

Parsons was arrested initially on an unrelated probation violation warrant. At the jail, investigators attempted to question him about the 2016 homicide of Ronnie Crenshaw, 64, of Checotah.

A family member found Crenshaw dead in September 2016 in his home in the 113600 block of south 4204 Road, according to an Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigations news release. Trauma to Crenshaw’s body indicated homicide.

“(Parsons) has been one of the suspects from the beginning,” Ledbetter said.

Ledbetter said, in addition to the unrelated warrant, a first-degree murder warrant had been issued for Parsons. Deputies booked Parsons into the jail Friday on the unrelated complaint.

When investigators attempted to interview Parsons about the Crenshaw homicide, he requested a lawyer.

Ledbetter said jail staff returned Parson to his cell where he later was found hanging.

He had a pulse, and jail staff performed CPR until Parsons could be taken to a Muskogee-area hospital. He subsequently was transferred to a Tulsa-area hospital where he died Saturday, Ledbetter said.

The investigation into Crenshaw’s death remains ongoing. Ledbetter said he anticipates charges against others involved in the homicide.