LAPD Deputy Chief Mark Perez said there was no evidence of foul play in the death of of Kazuyoshi Miura, the Japanese businessman found dead in his jail cell Oct. 10. The cell is located in a holding area at the department's downtown headquarters.
Police commanders called the news conference ostensibly in response to explosive allegations over the weekend by Miura's attorney, Mark Geragos. He told the Associated Press that he's hired a private pathologist, who examined the body and found that the 61-year-old had sustained deep tissue injuries on his back and a mass of clotted blood on his larynx -- injuries consistent with a beating.
Police had concluded last week that Miura had committed suicide, hanging himself with a piece of his shirt.
Perez said Miura's death "appears to be a suicide" and he expects an L.A. County Coroner's report -- still not released -- will reach the same conclusion.
Also revealed at the news conference: Miura was not placed under a suicide watch, but that he was visible in his cell through a clear window.
"He was in his cell, alone," said Perez, and "the only way to gain entrance is with a key."
No other inmates were allowed access to the room.
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Miura was returned to Los Angeles from Japan the day prior to his death. He had been named as a prime suspect in the shooting death of his wife 27 years ago -- the result of an LAPD "cold case" investigation that uncovered new evidence in the case.
Mark Geragos's office said he is currently out of town on another case. He did not return NBC Los Angeles' call for comment.
