Suspected Mexican cannibal found dead in cell

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - A Mexican writer accused of killing his ex-girlfriend and eating parts of her body was found dead hanging by his belt in a prison cell on Tuesday, the prison service said.

Jose Luis Calva, 38, who had been working on a book called "Cannibal Instincts," did not turn up for the morning roll call. Mexican media said he had committed suicide.

Calva was awaiting trial for the murder of his former girlfriend, Alejandra Galeana.

Police arrested Calva after bursting into his apartment in October and found a plate of fried human flesh on a dining table set with cutlery. They also discovered more flesh in a refrigerator and human bones in a cereal box.

Galeana's mutilated body was stashed in a bedroom closet.

Calva denied cannibalism but had said he killed Galeana after an argument. He said he cut her body up to get rid of it but then decided to cook parts to feed them to dogs, according to Mexico City prosecutors.

Calva wrote poetry and had earned a living selling his work on the streets.

The unfinished "Cannibal Instincts" book carried a cover photo of a man who looked like Calva wearing a mask similar to the one worn by Anthony Hopkins in the 'Hannibal Lecter' films, starting with the 1991 Oscar winner "Silence of the Lambs".

In his apartment, police also found books on black magic and copies of the Hannibal Lecter movies, which tell the tale of a genius serial killer who eats his victims.

(Reporting by Chris Aspin, Editing by Sandra Maler and Frances Kerry)