A 31-year-old man being held in the Fulton County Jail on assault and stalking charges died Thursday morning of an apparent suicide, authorities said.

Richard Willie Hill, of Riverdale, was found about 7:45 a.m. and was pronounced dead about 45 minutes later at Grady Memorial Hospital, according to jail spokeswoman Tracy Flanagan.

Hill was scheduled to appear in court Thursday, Flanagan said.

"A preliminary investigation reveals that he asphyxiated himself with his pants," Flanagan said.

She said the man was being held on $40,000 bond, charged with aggravated assault, aggravated stalking and possession of a firearm.

The death is being investigated by Atlanta police and the county medical examiner's office, Flanagan said.

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Fulton DA Fani Willis (center) with Nathan J. Wade (right), the special prosecutor she hired to manage the Trump case and had a romantic relationship with, at a news conference announcing charges against President-elect Donald Trump and others in Atlanta, Aug. 14, 2023. Georgia’s Supreme Court on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025, upheld an appeals court's decision to disqualify Willis from the election interference case against Trump and his allies. (Kenny Holston/New York Times)

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