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An inmate who was found dead in a Prince George's County jail cell two weeks ago killed himself using prescription drugs, medical officials have ruled.

Charles Rhodes Cooper, 33, of Cheverly, who had been scheduled to plead guilty the day of his death for robbing and then shooting a Greenbelt couple for drugs last summer, committed suicide by taking an unknown amount of pills, the Maryland Medical Examiner's Office ruled Thursday night.

A spokeswoman for the examiner's Baltimore office was unavailable for comment Friday. Prince George's County police confirmed the examiner's ruling but said they are still investigating how he obtained enough pills to overdose.

Guards were called to Cooper's cell at 3:30 a.m. Feb. 25 after his cellmate discovered him and alerted corrections officers. He was pronounced dead at a hospital two hours later.

Cooper had been in police custody since Aug. 28 after detectives tracked him down after the robbery.

According to Circuit Court records, Cooper broke into an apartment off Greenbelt Road that evening and held a couple at gunpoint, forcing them to turn over a black backpack containing illegal drugs. One of the victims struggled with Cooper, cutting his forehead, and Cooper shot the person in the stomach before running off on foot.

Detectives found an unattended car at the apartment complex and traced it to Cooper's girlfriend in Cheverly. When detectives went to the home, Cooper was there and had cuts on his face. He confessed to the crime and was arrested, according to police statements.

Cooper had been charged with attempted murder, assault, armed robbery, burglary and weapons violations. Prosecutors have said he had been scheduled to appear in court that morning to plead guilty in exchange for a 50-year prison sentence with 25 years suspended.

Cooper's suicide marks the 17th death at the county jail in the last nine years. More than 1,400 people are housed at the facility as they wait for trial or sentencing in Prince George's County Circuit or District courts.

The most recent death is in contrast to last summer's death of Ronnie White, a 19-year-old who was being held on charges of killing a county police officer days before. White was found dead in his solitary cell, and medical examiners ruled the death a homicide three months later.

Guards have said that White hanged himself but that they panicked and hit the bed sheet the teenager used, though examiners say his injuries were not consistent with the guards' accounts. A grand jury has been convened in the case.

White's death raised new concerns about security at the jail. Cameras and other evidence that would have provided information about the teen's death failed to work or went missing during the investigation, including the bedsheet White allegedly used to hang himself. Two corrections officers who have been the focus of the case are currently under suspension.

Department of Corrections spokeswoman Michon H. Parker said guards did obtain footage when they responded to Cooper's death.

"Every protocol was followed," she said.

E-mail Daniel Valentine at dvalentine@gazette.net