Markoff lawyer says it is too soon to criticize jail where client died

Markoff's body was found in his cell with a plastic bag tied over his head, two law enforcement officials briefed on the investigation told the Globe. Another law enforcement official said Markoff had also cut one of his arteries.

Mehigan, the EMS spokeswoman, would not comment on the reports that Markoff also had put a plastic bag over his head.

The suicide of the high-profile detainee, who was scheduled to go on trial in March for allegedly killing Julissa Brisman in April 2009 at a luxurious Back Bay hotel, immediately raised questions about how closely correction officers had watched Markoff.

In the immediate aftermath of his arrest days after the murder, Markoff was put in a special cell under camera surveillance because a correction officer spotted marks on his neck that suggested he had tried to use shoelaces to hang himself.

Salsberg said he did not know how often correction officers were supposed to check on Markoff at the jail in recent days. He said he wanted to wait for the results of a death investigation by Suffolk District Attorney Daniel Conley, as well as an autopsy that is scheduled to be performed today, before commenting on his client's care at the jail.

"You have to be patient, and there has to be an investigation -- try to be thoughtful about this and not try to have a knee-jerk reaction,'' he said.