Buncombe County -- August 25, 2026: A 33-year-old man being held at the Buncombe County Detention Facility died Tuesday after being found unresponsive in his cell a day earlier, according to the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office.
Douglas Michael Stroupe was found unresponsive in his cell shortly after 1 p.m. Monday, August 24. He was transported to Mission Hospital, where he was pronounced dead Tuesday afternoon.
The Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office said Stroupe’s family, the Buncombe County District Attorney’s Office and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation have been notified.
The SBI will conduct an independent review of the circumstances surrounding Stroupe’s death.
Authorities have not released a cause of death or additional information about what occurred before Stroupe was found unresponsive.
Stroupe had been held at the Buncombe County Detention Facility since November 26, 2025, while awaiting trial on several felony charges, including first-degree murder.
The charges stemmed from a November 2025 Asheville Police Department investigation. Police said officers investigating a violent assault on Warren Avenue in Asheville were led to a nearby residence, where 45-year-old Jennifer Rose Gerard was found dead from stab wounds.
Police subsequently charged Stroupe with first-degree murder, attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury with intent to kill and first-degree burglary. An additional first-degree rape charge was later filed following forensic testing.
Stroupe had not been tried or convicted on those charges at the time of his death.
The Sheriff’s Office has not announced additional details regarding the circumstances surrounding his death. The SBI's independent review remains pending.