CALIFORNIA IN BRIEF : TRACY : Despondent Inmate Hangs Himself in Cell

A state prisoner despondent over his 17-year sentence for burglary was found hanged in his cell. Officers and paramedics tried to revive Manuel G. Palacio, 25, but failed, said Lt. Stephen Jackson, spokesman for Deuel Vocational Institution. Palacio was pronounced dead about 45 minutes after officers found him hanging by a bedsheet in his cell in the prison reception center. He had been sentenced last month by a San Joaquin County judge to 17 years in prison for burglary and was despondent over the length of his term, Jackson said. A suicide note was found in Palacio’s cell.