Akron man indicted in wife’s murder dies by suicide

[Watch previous FOX 8 News coverage in the player above.]

AKRON , Ohio (WJW) — A man indicted in the murder of his wife, after he had reported her missing, has died by suicide, officials confirmed.

James Rimal, 33, of Cuyahoga Falls , was charged with murder, strangulation, abuse of a corpse and making false alarms, among other charges, in the death of his wife, 33-year-old Chandra Maya Poudel-Rimal.

The woman’s body was found near the Summit Metro Parks Freedom Trail on Feb. 27, nearly a week after her husband told police she had gone missing.

Here’s where the trail’s Middlebury trailhead is located:

Rimal was being held in the Summit County jail on a $1 million bond, court records show.

On May 20, he pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, court records show. The court ordered a psychological evaluation to determine his competency to stand trial. He again appeared before a judge four days later.

Rimal was found hanging by a bed sheet in his jail cell the afternoon of June 9, the Summit County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed. He was transported to an Akron hospital, where he died hours later.

The office ruled Rimal’s death a suicide, caused by a lack of oxygen to the brain.

The case was dismissed, but has been reopened for “further proceedings,” according to court filings.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Fox 8 Cleveland WJW.