Pasadena : Inmate Dies After Hanging

A 23-year-old Pasadena woman died Tuesday at Huntington Memorial Hospital, two days after she hanged herself with her shoelaces in a cell at the city jail, authorities said.

Stephanie Santa Maria, who was awaiting arraignment on misdemeanor battery charges stemming from an altercation she allegedly had with her mother, was found by a jailer Sunday about 1 p.m. hanging from a crossbar, police said.

Santa Maria had been arrested Saturday night, but was not released on her own recognizance because officers feared she might try to harm her mother again, Sgt. Jay D’Angelo said.

It was the fourth suicide attempt this year at the Pasadena jail, D’Angelo said. The jail at the new police building, designed to give officers a better view of the cells, is expected to open next month.