At 3:45 a.m. Feb. 13, Ron Cornu, 65, died in Las Vegas, where he had been hospitalized due to a self-inflicted gunshot wound to his face.

An autopsy revealed the immediate cause of death was a heart attack.

Cornu was arrested by the Nye County Sheriff's Office Dec. 3, 2008, after allegedly shooting at his wife through the windshield of her car as she was driving away from him. His wife's condition did not require long-term hospitalization, but due to the extreme seriousness of his own wounds, Cornu had been in the hospital since his arrest.

In January, Nye County commissioners approved $100,000 in overtime to pay for the sheriff's department charges for the supervision of Cornu. According to Nye County Sheriff Tony DeMeo, $37,000 was paid on overtime for supervising Cornu in December.

Cornu had undergone reconstructive surgery, and according to DeMeo, he was recovering.

"The day before he died, we were notified by his social worker that Mr. Cornu was talking and would be released from the hospital in 48 to 72 hours," said DeMeo.

Upon release from the hospital, Cornu would have faced charges of domestic battery with a deadly weapon and substantial bodily harm as well as attempted murder in the first degree.