HARTFORD— A 31-year-old man accused of sexually assaulting two teenage girls in June while he was on leave from the Navy was found dead in his cell at the Hartford Correctional Center on Friday, having apparently hanged himself, according to a Department of Corrections press release.
John Matthew Tyhurst, of Pearl City, Hawaii, was found unresponsive in his cell with a ligature tied around his neck, the release states. Tyhurst was the only inmate in the cell at the time, according to the release.
He was immediately taken to St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center in Hartford, where he was pronounced dead at 8:46 p.m., the release states.
Tyhurst was an unsentenced inmate, the release states. He previously pleaded not guilty to charges of second and fourth-degree sexual assault, illegal sexual contact, employing a minor in an obscene performance and risk of injury to a child, according to court records.
Tyhurst had been incarcerated at the Hartford facility since July 30, the release states. He was scheduled to appear in Superior Court in Tolland on Oct. 11, court records show.
According to a warrant for his arrest, Tyhurst had sex with a 14-year-old girl and attempted to have sex with a 16-year-old girl in a hotel room in Willington while on leave in Connecticut to visit his children, who live in Norwich with Tyhurst’s ex-wife.
The warrant alleges that Tyhurst picked the two girls up, then drove to Norwich where he dropped them in the parking lot of a gym while he picked up his two kids, according to the warrant. He then met with his new wife’s ex-husband to pick up his stepson, again leaving the girls in a parking lot, the warrant states.
Tyhurst then rented two rooms at the Rodeway Inn, one for him and the girls and a second for the children to stay in, the warrant states. The victim said that once in the room, Tyhurst began to have sex with the 14-year-old, according to the warrant. On several occasions he approached the 16-year-old, kissing her and rubbing himself against her, but she yelled “no” and slapped him away, the warrant states.
The 16-year-old eventually left the room and called police from the front desk, according to the warrant.
The girl said she has known Tyhurst since she was 10 or 11 years old, because he used to live next door to her family. She said that on several occasions she was a baby sitter for Tyhurst’s children, the warrant states.
Both girls said that they had previously talked with Tyhurst through text messaging and had each sent him naked pictures when he asked for them, the warrant states. The 16-year-old victim said that she had used Skype to video-chat with Tyhurst and that he had masturbated during their conversations, according to the warrant.
Tyhurst told police he had been at the hotel with the two girls, but said he never used force with either of them and backed off as soon as the 16-year-old girl said she was not interested, the warrant states.
Tyhurst had no previous criminal record in Connecticut.
The state medical examiner’s office will determine the exact manner and cause of death, the DOC release states.
By Kelly Glista, Hartford Courant