A Cortez man accused of killing and dismembering his father was found dead Friday, local law enforcement confirmed Monday. His death has been ruled a suicide.
Jeremiah Raymond Berry, 24, was found dead at a county residence in the 6200 block of U.S. Highway 160 south of Cortez, said Lt. Ted Meador of the Montezuma County Sheriffs Office. Berry recently was released from prison.
Montezuma County Coroner Charlie Rosenbagh declined to comment on specifics of the death, but Rosenbaugh said Berry was last seen alive around 5:45 p.m. last Monday. Sheriffs deputies and the coroners office responded shortly after that time in response to a 911 call from a family member and ruled the death a suicide.
Berry had admitted to shooting his father, 42-year-old Jack Berry, in 2008 and feeding parts of the body to coyotes. Other body parts were found encased in concrete in buckets.
Jeremiah Berry said he had been sexually assaulted and psychologically abused by his father.
After entering a plea agreement with the 22nd Judicial District Attorneys Office, Jeremiah Berry was convicted of manslaughter and menacing and sentenced in September 2009. He was given three years in prison with 10 years of intensive supervised probation.
The defendants attorney, Chris Trimble, had said at the sentencing hearing that his client self-mutilated and made several attempts at suicide.
A Colorado Department of Corrections spokesperson could not be reached before deadline Monday.
Reach Reid Wright at reidw@cortezjournal.com.
