Luis Alvarado, 18 -- one of the two men charged with kidnapping, raping, and stabbing to death Sany San -- committed suicide in his jail cell using a bedsheet today.

San, a Cambodian immigrant who had survived the Khmer Rouge, led an incredible life. (As Rita already urged you to before, San's story is worthy of a moment's attention, for sure.)

According to the San Jose Mercury News, "a note on yellow binder paper was found in Alvarado's cell," but seeing as how the case is still pending, officials declined to reveal the contents of the letter.