Martelle Wooding
Martelle Dashay Wooding, 31, of Altavista, was held at the Amherst County Adult Detention Center in Virginia. The Campbell County Commonwealth's Attorney's Office said he was found hanging in his cell on a Saturday morning and died at a hospital later that week. Tim Trent, administrator of the Blue Ridge Regional Jail system, said Wooding attempted to hang himself at the jail on May 13, 2017, and was taken to Lynchburg General Hospital, where he died. Accounts differ on the date of death, which is given as both May 17 and May 18, 2017.
Cause of death, as reported: Died by suicide. Tim Trent, administrator of the Blue Ridge Regional Jail system, says Martelle Wooding attempted to hang himself in his cell on May 13, 2017, and the Campbell County Commonwealth's Attorney's Office says he was found hanging and unresponsive before dying in the hospital.
Reported by: Blue Ridge Regional Jail system (Tim Trent, administrator) (the agency that held him); Campbell County Commonwealth's Attorney's Office (outside investigators).