Man accused of killing mother, aunt in double homicide found dead in Beaver County Jail, DA says

BEAVER COUNTY, Pa. — A man accused of killing his mother and aunt in a double homicide was found dead in the Beaver County Jail on Friday morning, the District Attorney said.

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Benjamin D. Selby, 43, was in jail on charges connected to a double homicide on June 24 that left two women dead.

Mary Lihosit, 65 of Irving, Texas, and Delores Selby, 71, of New Sewickley Township, were killed in the shooting.

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Selby was charged with two counts of criminal homicide and one count of kidnapping for ransom.

Channel 11 learned Friday that Selby was wheelchair-bound and refusing treatment inside the Beaver County Jail.

Those actions led him to an isolation cell with around-the-clock observations before his death Friday morning.

“Mr. Selby who is a suspect in a double homicide was found dead in his cell this morning at about 8:30 in the morning and he was declared dead after live-saving measures failed,” said Beaver County District Attorney Dave Lozier.

It comes less than two weeks after 43-year-old Selby was booked into the Beaver County Jail.

New Sewickley Township Police said Selby shot and killed both his mother and aunt inside a home on Klein Road on June 24th before having a standoff with police.

Wheelchair-bound, from a motorcycle accident earlier in life, he was eventually put into an isolation cell.

“He was refusing from being transferred from the wheelchair into the bed, he was sleeping in the wheelchair and was not cooperating with jail personnel,” Lozier said.

Lozier told Channel 11 he was also refusing medication and any treatment, so he was being checked by correction officers every 15 minutes.  That’s when he was found slumped over with a pulse.

At this point, Lozier said the autopsy is underway and there is no sign of trauma or suicide.

“The coroner’s office will make the final decision on the cause and manner of death in about 6 to 8 weeks because it will take that long for microscopic evaluations to be done, and the labs to be returned and there will be medical considerations here because he was in a wheelchair for a number of years,” Lozier said.

The last time an inmate died in the Beaver County Jail was over two years ago.

As for the homicide case, Lozier said it will be dismissed Monday morning.

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