NEPTUNE, N.J.-- The New Jersey man who authorities believe decapitated himself when he leaped to his death with a rope around his neck had won a $1 million slot jackpot in 2001.
John Leatherman's torso was recovered near the Ocean Grove Fishing Pier Monday evening.
Monmouth County prosecutors say the 43-year-old's death is a probable suicide.
The Asbury Park Press reports Leatherman won $1,018,861 after two pulls of a High Rollers $5 progressive slot machine on Dec. 31, 2001, at Trump Taj Mahal Casino Hotel in Atlantic City.
The carpenter took a check for $50,943 and opted to receive that amount annually for the next 19 years.
His stepmother, Kathleen Leatherman, told the newspaper he took part of the winnings and invested in a Florida winter home for his mother.
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