Klamath torture case suspect dies awaiting trial

KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. (AP) — A suspect has died while awaiting trial in Klamath County for the alleged torture of a housemate.

The Herald and News reports (http://bit.ly/2dFsEpK ) 50-year-old John Raley died at a hospital last month. The death certificate lists the reason as multi-organ failure caused by congestive heart failure.

Raley was arrested last winter along with his wife, daughter and son-in-law. They were accused of physically abusing a 63-year-old woman at a home the five shared in Klamath Falls.

Authorities were alerted to the allegations after hospital workers discovered the woman had a broken arm, bruising, an MRSA infection and detached retinas.

The victim said she was regularly tied to a chair and beaten with household objects.

The remaining three defendants continue to await trial on kidnapping and assault charges.

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Information from: Herald and News, http://www.heraldandnew