Inmate charged with murdering girlfriend found dead in cell

OGDEN — A man charged with murder for the death of his live-in girlfriend less than a month ago was found dead in his jail cell Wednesday night.

The body of Jeffrey Dean White, 43, was found by Weber County Jail staff members about 9:10 p.m. Wednesday. He apparently died as a result of hanging himself with a bed sheet, according to the Weber County Sheriff's Office.

White was charged in 2nd District Court on Oct. 26 with murder, a first-degree felony, and two counts of domestic violence in the presence of a child, a third-degree felony, in connection with the death of Marnie Stark, 38.

An autopsy showed Stark was killed by a lacerated liver caused by blunt force trauma. The medical examiner who performed the autopsy said the injuries were "consistent with punches or kicks," the charges state. White's two children, both under the age of 10, were in the house during the Oct. 20 attack.

White was housed in the jail's maximum security unit and did not have a cellmate, said Weber County Sheriff's Lt. Mark Lowther. Maximum security inmates are checked every 45 to 60 minutes, he said. The last time corrections officers checked White was 8:25 p.m., he said.

There had been no indication that White was suicidal and he was not on a suicide watch, Lowther said.

The death will now be investigated by the Weber County Attorney's Office, per standard protocol for all in-custody deaths.

— Pat Reavy Twitter: DNewsCrimeTeam