Maine Murder Suspect Pronounced Dead Wednesday

A Maine murder suspect, who was charged in the death of a man in Augusta last November, was pronounced dead after she was found hanging by a bed sheet in her jail cell on Wednesday, according to Maine Department of Public Safety spokesman Stephen McCausland.

Zina Fritz, 27, of Augusta, died while she was being transported to MaineGeneral, McCausland said.

Correction officers at the Kennebec County Jail say they found her hanging by a bed sheet around 2 p.m.

The incident will be investigated by state police and the Maine attorney general's office, standard procedure when an inmate dies inside a Maine jail.

Fritz and her boyfriend, Michael Sean McQuade, 45, of Augusta, were charged with murder in the death of Joseph Marceau, 31, of Augusta.

Marceau’s body was discovered after police responded to reports of a disturbance at the couple’s apartment on Nov. 23.

Fritz and McQuade pleaded not guilty to murder and other charges at the Capital Judicial Center on Tuesday.

A third suspect, Damik Davis, 25, of New York City, was arrested the day police responded to the couple’s apartment and charged with murder.

Police describe the killing as a “drug related” incident.

Fritz's body was taken to the state medical examiner's office for an autopsy.