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Sunday, March 30, 1997

Jail inmate critically injured in attempt

MENARD, Texas (AP) - An inmate accused of murdering her father tried to hang herself in her Menard County Jail cell.

Katie Anne Pockat of University Place, Wash., was in critical condition Saturday at the intensive care unit of Shannon Medical Center in San Angelo.

Relatives and attorneys said Ms. Pockat, 30, suffered from a psychological disorder and a history of sexual abuse by her father.

The woman's condition had not changed since she was admitted to the hospital after early Friday, said Bill Richards, a nursing coordinator.

Vivian Moore of Gatesville, Ms. Pockat's mother, said her daughter was unresponsive and the family did not expect her to recover.

Ms. Pockat suffered from multiple personality disorder, said her court-appointed attorney, Patricia Nasworthy. Her arms and wrists were scarred from previous suicide attempts, Ms. Nasworthy said.

She said her client told her, " 'Don't work too hard on this (case). I'm not going to be around for the trial.' She told me she was going to do it, and there was nothing anybody could do about it."

The attorney warned Menard County Sheriff Bruce Hough on Thursday evening that the inmate might try to harm herself that night.

The sheriff told the San Angelo Standard-Times that Ms. Pockat was closely monitored. A jailer checked on her at 2:55 a.m. Friday and found her sleeping, but returned at 3:01 a.m. to find her hanging from the bars by a noose made from her shirt.

The Texas Rangers were investigating the apparent suicide attempt. Hough did not immediately return a telephone call Saturday from The Associated Press.

Ms. Pockat, 30, had been jailed March 23 after the shotgun slaying of Melvin Lee Shelton at his home in Menard, about 220 miles southwest of Dallas and 55 miles southeast of San Angelo.

Relatives and attorneys told the newspaper that Shelton physically and sexually abused Ms. Pockat when she was growing up in Ingram, a town near Kerrville.

Ms. Pockat told the sheriff that in her last visit with her father, Shelton had touched her between her legs and under her arms and tried to restrain her in the bedroom. She said she grabbed Shelton's shotgun and shot him.

At age 14, Ms. Pockat cut off contact with her biological parents and went to live with John and Marsha Coleman, who now live in Idaho. Send a Letter to the Editor about This Story | Start or Join A Discussion about This Story
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