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Mother Found 'DC Madam' Hanging, Fla. Police Say

Deborah Jeane Palfrey, 52, faced prison time after conviction

By Jonas Oransky, Newser Staff

Posted May 1, 2008 3:29 PM CDT

(Newser) – The so-called “DC Madam” hanged herself in Florida, police said today, committing suicide two weeks after her conviction for money laundering and racketeering. Officials say her mother found Deborah Jeane Palfrey, 52, hanging in a storage shed this morning, along with suicide notes whose... Read full story »

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'DC Madam' Mom Sues to Stop Release of Suicide Photos

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(NEWSER) - The mother of 'DC Madam' Deborah Jeane Palfrey is suing to stop police from releasing photos of her daughter's suicide scene, the St. Petersburg Times reports. A public records law allows disclosure, but the Blanche Palfrey's attorney argues it's "inappropriate, unacceptable, and personally harmful." The late Palfrey faced up to eight years in prison when she killed herself in a shed at her mother's home. More»

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(NEWSER) - Unable to bear the prospect of prison time, the so-called DC Madam hanged herself, officials in Florida said today. Deborah Jeane Palfrey, whose body was found Thursday, left behind suicide notes in which she referred to "this 'modern day lynching'" and said she saw "no way out i.e. 'exit strategy' for me other than the one I have chosen," the Tampa Tribune reports. More»

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(NEWSER) - The DC madam may have committed suicide last week to avoid jail, but her story lives on. Literary agents are discussing doing a documentary on Deborah Jeane Palfrey, the New York Post reports, and have lined up biographer C. David Heymann to write a book about the sex industry, with Palfrey as the focus. "Perhaps her life won't have been taken in vain," said agent Marianne Strong. More»

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(NEWSER) - Most know her as the feisty DC Madam who riled up the media by releasing her clients' phone records, but a half-finished memoir obtained by Newsweek reveals Deborah Jeane Palfrey's personal side. A small-town girl turned "fuddy-duddy white lady," she overcame a stifling childhood to turn feminist entrepreneur. More»

'DC Madam' Guilty, Guilty, Guilty

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(NEWSER) - Rejecting the defense that she didn't know her escorts were having sex with clients, a federal jury convicted the "DC Madam," who, WTOP–FM reports, met today's verdict with a sigh. Deborah Jeane Palfrey, whose prostitution-ring bust implicated Washington highbrows, including a Louisiana senator, faces up to 55 years on racketeering and money-laundering charges at her sentencing in July. More»

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Mother Found 'DC Madam' Hanging, Fla. Police Say

Deborah Jeane Palfrey, 52, faced prison time after conviction

suicide • DC Madam • Deborah Jeane Palfrey • conviction

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More Newser Stories

'DC Madam' Mom Sues to Stop Release of Suicide Photos

Says disclosure is an invasion of privacy

DC Madam Saw 'No Way Out': Suicide Note

Autopsy confirms Palfrey hanged herself rather than face prison

DC Madam to the Big Screen?

Agents are shopping a book and documentary of the famed flesh peddler

DC Madam as Feminist Entrepreneur

Memoir reveals small-town go-getter with a 'touch of class'

'DC Madam' Guilty, Guilty, Guilty

Palfrey faces 55 years on racketeering, money-laundering convictions

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