A man accused of killing two pensioners has been found dead in his prison cell while on trial for the murders.
Leo Barnes, from Balsall Heath, Birmingham, was standing trial at Wolverhampton Crown Court accused of killing Cynthia Beamond, 80, and Philip Silverstone, 67.
Barnes was due to be cross-examined on Friday but had complained of feeling ill.
He was found hanging in his cell at HMP Hewell in Redditch on Sunday morning.
Giving evidence in his defence on Thursday, Barnes told jurors he witnessed assaults on his alleged victims, but denied attacking Mrs Beamond with a saucepan and killing 67-year-old Mr Silverstone with a jack from a hire car.
The 33-year-old said they had died at the hands of an intruder and a Polish man who went "absolutely wild" after a sexual encounter.
The self-confessed cocaine dealer insisted that Mrs Beamond, whom he knew from childhood, was still alive when he left her house before driving to Mr Silverstone's flat in London the next day.
The victim's daughter said the family and her mother had been denied justice.
Beverley Hadley said: "We are devastated as a family that the man we believe is responsible for the brutal murder of my beloved Mum is not going to face justice for this horrendous crime.
"On Friday 27 June 2014 my life changed forever when my Mum and best friend went missing.
"Without Mum, every day of our lives is painful and empty.
"Every day I wake up thinking about her and believing that this whole nightmare is just a dream, but then the realisation hits me over and over again."
Police said an investigation will be held into Barnes' death but it is not regarded as suspicious.
Detective Inspector Caroline Corfield, who led the murder inquiry, said: "I am shocked to hear about the death of Leo Barnes, who was found dead in his cell at HMP Hewell by prison staff."
A Prison Service spokesman said: "As with all deaths in custody, the Independent Prisons and Probation Ombudsman will conduct an investigation."
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