A Florida man sentenced to death for raping and murdering a 13-year-old girl did the state a favor last week — by killing himself before it could execute him, officials said.

Matthew Caylor, 50, had been on Death Row for 16 years for raping and fatally strangling Melinda Hinson in 2008. 5

Caylor attacked Melinda while on the lam after molesting a 14-year-old girl in Georgia, authorities said.

He was living out of a motel room in Panama City so he could sell drugs on the side while in hiding — and Melinda, who lived in that same motel with her family, dropped by his room one day to ask for a cigarette. 5

Caylor wanted to make the trade “worth it,” according to court documents .

“[I]f I’m going to be in trouble for having sex with this girl being in my room, I might as well

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