A Villanova University history professor was found dead next to Chester County train tracks, two days before he was scheduled to begin serving a 20-month federal prison term for child pornography charges.
The Chester County Coroner's Office ruled 60-year-old Christopher Haas' death Saturday morning in West Whiteland Township as a suicide. He died next to some train tracks from exsanguination -- the action of losing blood from the body.
The coroner declined to say what caused Haas to bleed out near the Whitford SEPTA Station.
Haas' attorney, Scott Godshall, told The Philadelphia Inquirer he was planning to drive Haas to federal prison in New Jersey on Monday. His lawyer said Haas was apprehensive, but he seemed in good spirits when they talked last week.
Haas was accused of using a computer on Villanova's campus to search the Internet for child pornography. He pleaded guilty in September to accessing the internet with the intent to view child exploitation images.
SUICIDE PREVENTION HELP: The National Suicide Prevention Hotline (1-800-273-8255) is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
