Travis Fulton, ex-MMA fighter, dies by suicide in jail after agreeing to plead guilty on child porn charges

Fox News Flash top headlines for July 12

Fox News Flash top headlines are here. Check out what’s clicking on Foxnews.com.

Travis Fulton, a former boxer and mixed martial artist who recently agreed to plead guilty to child pornography charges, died by suicide at an Iowa jail, officials said Sunday.

Fulton was found unresponsive in his jail cell at around 4 a.m. Saturday and taken to the hospital where he later died, the Linn County Sheriff’s Office said. Investigators believe he died by suicide.

Fulton, 44, was charged with sexual exploitation of a child, child pornography possession and receipt of child pornography, ESPN reported in February, citing the indictment. 

Fulton allegedly attempted to get a minor to “engage in sexually explicit conduct” to produce “visual depictions of such conduct” on a digital camera, according to ESPN. He is also alleged to have a depiction of another minor under 12 on a thumb drive.

The camera and flash drive were reportedly bought outside of Iowa.

Fulton was also facing separate criminal charges in the state, according to The Courier. He was charged with willful injury and multiple domestic abuse counts over a 2019 incident with a woman, according to the newspaper reported.

A lawyer for Fulton just filed documents in court Friday saying the former MMA fighter intended to plead guilty to sexual exploitation of a child and possession of child pornography, according to The Courier. A judge had rejected a challenge from Fulton earlier in the week to prevent a search warrant that allowed investigators to find images of child porn on electronic devices Fulton owned.

He was set to change his guilty plea later this month.

In the fighting world, Fulton was known as “The Ironman.” The Waterloo, Iowa, native fought in about 320 MMA bouts, stacking up 255 wins. He fought in UFC 20 and UFC 21, where he won once. He last fought in 2019 in M1 Global picking up a victory over Shannon Ritch.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Source: Read Full Article