Accused in hit-and-run, doctor kills himself in jail

A Chicago doctor has committed suicide in a Pennsylvania jail where he was being held on charges he killed a motorcyclist in a hit-and-run accident on the Pennsylvania Turnpike near Pittsburgh.

The Allegheny County Medical Examiner's Office confirmed the death of the doctor, 33-year-old Shiva Lal Acharya. An autopsy was conducted yesterday. Acharya's nephew Ramesh Lamichhane, of Harrisburg, said the doctor killed himself about 11:30 a.m. Saturday.

Acharya was driving from Chicago to a job interview in Easton, Pa., on Sept. 4. Police say he began fleeing Ohio authorities at high speeds because he didn't have a valid driver's license in that state.

Police say he lost control of his car on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, hitting 46-year-old motorcyclist Keith Brown of Green Bay, Wis.

- AP