(Adds that Phillips had faced a possible life sentence, details on playing career)
By Alex Dobuzinskis
LOS ANGELES, Jan 13 (Reuters) - Lawrence Phillips, a former NFL player convicted in a domestic violence case and later charged with murdering a cellmate, was found dead in his California prison cell early on Wednesday of a suspected suicide, officials said.
The 40-year-old Phillips' death came less than five months after he was charged with murder in the April 11, 2015, strangling of his cellmate, a prison spokeswoman said.
The former University of Nebraska star was awaiting trial in that case and faced a possible life sentence if convicted.