Death row inmate hangs himself in his cell

Three days after receiving psychiatric care, a death row inmate hanged himself in his cell at San Quentin State Prison, a spokesman said Friday.

James David Tulk, 46, who was sentenced to death for the 1990 rape and murder of a Redding woman, was found about 11:30 p.m. Thursday hanging from a bedsheet tied to his upper bunk, said Lt. Eric Messick.

Even though they live alone, many death row inmates have double bunks, Messick said.

Tulk was hospitalized briefly Monday for “psychiatric observation,” Messick said. Tulk was not on suicide watch and it was unknown whether he had been in the past.