Soldier charged in killing hangs self

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. -- An Army Special Forces soldier charged with killing his wife after returning from Afghanistan nine months ago hanged himself in a jail cell Sunday, officials said.

Master Sgt. William Wright was one of four soldiers at Fort Bragg suspected of killing their spouses in a six-week stretch last summer. The deadly spree forced the Army to re-evaluate how it provided support for soldiers with strained marriages and those readjusting after combat service.

Wright, who was 36 at the time of his arrest July 19, was found dead in his cell about 1 a.m., said Lt. Glen Mobley of the Cumberland County Sheriff's Department.

Wright was alone in the cell and a jailer had checked on him a half-hour before he was found. Jail employees unsuccessfully attempted to revive him with CPR, according to the statement.

Wright served with the 3rd Special Forces Group in Afghanistan and returned a few weeks before reporting his wife, Jennifer, missing July 1. He was charged with first-degree murder in her death and had been held in jail since then without bond allowed.

The couple had three boys, ages 6, 9 and 13.

Sgt. 1st Class Rigoberto Nieves, 32, a Special Forces soldier, fatally shot his wife and himself June 11, two days after he had returned from Afghanistan.

Sgt. 1st Class Brandon Floyd, reportedly a member of the secret Delta Force, shot his wife and then killed himself July 19.

Still facing charges is former Army sergeant Cedric Griffin, who is accused of stabbing his wife, Marilyn, 50 times and setting her on fire July 9. He faces death if convicted.