Venezuelan boxing world champion kills himself in prison

CARACAS, April 19 (Xinhua) -- Venezuelan boxer Edwin Valero, world champion of the World Council of Boxing hung himself on Monday in his cell at the Valencia prison in Carabobo state, where he was imprisoned after killing his wife.

According to the state-run TV channel Venezolana de Television, Valero hung himself at about 1:30 a.m. local time (0600 GMT), using his clothes and the grids of his cell.

When being taken to the medical care in the prison, Valero was still alive, but later he died for mechanical suffocation, director of the Scientific, Penal and Criminal Investigations Corps (CICPC), Wilmer Flores Trosell told the T.V. channel.

On Sunday morning, Valero went to the lobby of a hotel in Valencia where he was staying, and he admitted having killed his wife Jennifer Carolina Vieira, local press said.

According to the press, Valero was detained without resistance and taken to the police station of Carabobo.

Meanwhile, the CICPC started an administrative investigation on the police agents who were guarding Valero in prison.