D.M. man who killed wife, neighbor commits suicide in prison

WILLIAM PETROSKI bpetroski@dmreg.com A man convicted of killing his wife and a neighbor in Des Moines last August committed suicide early today at the Iowa State Penitentiary in Fort Madison, a prison spokesman said. Nath Inthaboun, 32, was found guilty in March of two counts of first-degree murder in the Aug. 14 shooting deaths of Bounpanh Xayavongchanh, 32, his common-law wife, and Amalia Vasquez, 60, a neighbor who happened on the scene on Des Moines’ north side. He received two mandatory sentences of life in prison that began on April 21. Inthabound was found unresponsive in his cell at about 12:20 a.m. today, said Iowa prison spokesman Fred Scaletta. The inmate had strips of a bed sheet around his neck that were tied to a shelf in his cell. The prison staff responded by cutting the strips and providing emergency medical assistance, including cardiopulmonary resuscitation and use of an automated external defibrillator. Emergency medical procedures were stopped at 12:50 a.m. after medical personnel determined he was dead, Scaletta said. Inthaboun gave emotional testimony during his trial, telling jurors he loved his wife. He admitted killing her in a fit of rage because he believed she was having an affair. He claimed he blacked out when he shot his wife and did the same when he killed Vasquez. Inthaboun had not been under a suicide watch and there had been no previous indication he had considered taking his life, Scaletta said. An autopsy will be performed that will include a toxicology test as a routine matter of procedure in such cases, he added. Inthaboun had been housed in a single cell and there was no sign of foul play, Scaletta said.