CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WJZY) -- A man facing charges in the murder of a woman at an art studio in Charlotte’s NoDa neighborhood and a man in Greensboro was found dead in his prison cell on Wednesday, according to the North Carolina Department of Public Safety.
Officials say Malek Moore was found unresponsive in his cell around 4:34 a.m. on Thursday. First responders attempted lifesaving measures until paramedics arrived. He was pronounced dead just before 5 a.m.
Authorities said he died from an apparent suicide.
Moore is accused of murdering Gabryelle Allnutt on September 5 at an art studio on the 400 block of East 22nd Street. Police said Allnut was an artist who had traveled to Charlotte seeking shelter from Hurricane Ida.
Hours before Allnutt’s murder, police said Moore punched a woman in the face with a closed fist on the greenway in the 2100 block of North Davidson Street.
Early morning on Sept. 6, police said he broke into The Exchange at 36th Street where officers observed damage to the business learned of stolen property.
Greensboro Police later identified Moore as the suspect in the death of 21-year-old Christian Mbimba of Nashville, Tennessee who was found dead on September 3.
“What he did to Christian was just evil. Just evil. He doesn’t have a heart,” said Justine Alzu, Mbimba's sister.
Moore was arrested in Greensboro on September 9 and charged with murder.