(Newser)
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A drifter suspected of murdering a young barista in Alaska and at least seven other people was found dead in his jail cell yesterday morning. Authorities say Israel Keyes, who was due to stand trial in March for the kidnapping and murder of 18-year-old Samantha Koenig, died of an apparent suicide, the AP reports. After Keyes' death, police announced that they had linked him to seven murders outside Alaska.
Officials say the 34-year-old carpenter and Army veteran confessed to killing a couple in Vermont, four people in Washington state, and a man in New York. All the murders appear to have been random killings of strangers and investigators say they have been unable to uncover any motive, the Anchorage Daily News reports. Keyes only gave out a little bit of information at the time of his arrest in March and investigators suspect there may have been even more victims.
