Doctor convicted of murder found dead

NORFOLK, Mass., Jan. 6 (UPI) -- Massachusetts authorities say Dr. Richard Sharpe hanged himself in the cell of the prison where he was incarcerated for killing his estranged wife.

Sharpe, a Gloucester dermatologist, hung himself with a sheet Monday night at the medium-security prison in Norfolk, said Diane Wiffin, a spokeswoman for the Department of Correction.

Sharpe was sentenced in 2001 to life in prison for the shotgun killing of his estranged wife Karen. Sharpe reportedly killed her to keep her from gaining part of his $5 million in assets, The Boston Globe reported Tuesday.

Sharpe's story attracted much publicity after photos revealed he was a cross-dresser who made his fortune through a chain of hair removal centers, The Boston Herald reported Tuesday.

The Harvard-educated Sharpe was acquitted in 2007 of trying hiring a hit man from behind bars to kill Robert Weiner, the prosecutor who sent Sharpe to prison, the Herald reported.

An autopsy was to be performed Tuesday on Sharpe's body as part of the investigation into this death, Wiffin said.