Man found dead in King County Jail was on trial for rape

A man found dead in the King County Jail after hanging himself was on trial in the rape of a woman in Wallingford last year, authorities confirmed Saturday.

Sankarandi Skanda, who also goes by the name Franklin Antill, was accused of sneaking into a Wallingford home last October and raping a woman as her children and their nanny were elsewhere in the house.

For the past month, Skanda, 36, had acted as his own attorney during his trial on charges of first-degree rape, first-degree robbery and first-degree burglary. If convicted, he faced a possibility of life in prison.

King County Superior Court Judge Douglass North is expected to end the case when the trial reconvenes Monday.

King County Jail Maj. William Hayes said Skanda was found hanging inside his single-person cell at 2:26 a.m. on Friday. Medics performed CPR until 2:44, when Skanda was pronounced dead, Hayes said. Skanda was found hanging by his bedsheets; his death is believed to be a suicide, authorities said.

Hayes said investigators have not yet found a suicide note but, he added, there are piles of paperwork inside the cell because of the trial.

During the trial, Skanda had said the alleged victim falsely accused him of breaking into her home and raping her after he refused to kill the 34-year-old woman's husband.

According to Seattle police, the Wallingford woman was paying bills around 9:30 p.m. on Oct. 20 when a stranger put a knife to her throat and demanded money. The woman screamed and told the man that she didn't have any money inside the home, the police report said. She offered him her wedding ring if he would leave.

King County Senior Deputy Prosecutor Julie Kays said at the trial that Skanda then raped the woman, rifled through a jewelry box and threatened to kill her. Kays said during the trial that the woman quietly complied when Skanda attacked her because she was afraid her son and daughter might get hurt.

Skanda used the woman's credit card at a Lynnwood Wal-Mart about an hour after the assault. Police said surveillance cameras captured video of Skanda shopping at the store. He was arrested Oct. 29.

Throughout the trial, Skanda has made proclamations in court, ranging from allegations that he and the Wallingford woman had a relationship to a claim that he is a type of love guru.

Last month, when cross-examining the Wallingford woman in court, he questioned her in detail about the placement of items in her home, recounted the rape at length and accused the woman's husband of abusing the couple's young son. Prosecutors say Skanda made up the abuse allegations.

Skanda had claimed to be the ordained minister of Everett's "Temple of Love" ministry, which was founded on the belief that regular use of psychedelic drugs and copious amounts of sex can bring a form of spiritual enlightenment, according to court filings.

"Psychedelic drugs and a positive view of sexuality can heal," Skanda said in court during the first day of trial.

Kays said she has told the Wallingford woman and her husband about Skanda's death.

"They're shocked. It's unsettling. She very much wanted the jury to render a verdict of guilty," Kayes said Saturday. "There's always a sense of finality with a jury of 12 rendering a verdict."

Jennifer Sullivan: 206-464-8294 or jensullivan@seattletimes.com