BUFFALO - The family of a handyman charged with killing two elderly women says his autopsy shows he died from neglect in the Erie County jail.

Robert Henchen, 42, was accused of strangling his 87-year-old neighbor, Geraldine Jackson of Colden, and fatally beating his wife's aunt, Nancy Phelps, 68, of Marilla. Both women had been missing since January. Their bodies were found in April in a barn in Colden, about 20 miles south of Buffalo.

“He was calling relatives every day begging for help because he wasn't receiving any medical attention. His condition was deteriorating,” said Randy Henchen, his younger brother.

Henchen died of pneumonia brought on by starvation and dehydration, according to a report by the Erie County medical examiner's office. He had been in the county holding center since Jan. 19, when he was first arrested on a parole violation.

Erie County Sheriff Timothy Howard disputed that staff ignored Henchen's health, saying the inmate had refused to take his medications and chose not to take food or fluids. “There was a lot of medical attention being paid to him. In fact, there were 23 different referrals over several months,” he said.

When inmates go on a hunger strike, the government cannot intervene unless it's determined that the person is unable to make independent decisions, Howard said.

Randy Henchen said his brother had spent time in a state mental health facility, and that should have been taken into consideration.

The state Commission on Corrections and the Erie County district attorney's office are both investigating Henchen's death.