High Desert prison inmate dies after alleged assault by cellmate

An inmate at High Desert State Prison in Susanville was found dead after an alleged assault by his cellmate, prison officials said.

The 48-year-old inmate was found unresponsive in his cell at about 7:20 a.m. Wednesday and was pronounced dead about a half-hour later, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said.

Authorities provided no details about the alleged assault except to say the death is being investigated as a homicide. The inmate's 41-year-old cellmate was being kept in isolation during the investigation.

The inmate who died, whose name has not been released pending notification of next of kin, was serving a 22-year sentence for assault with a deadly weapon.

The cellmate, who has also not been named, is serving a 28-year sentence for penetration with force against a victim's will, assault with a deadly weapon and rape.

Both inmates were from Los Angeles County.

In a separate incident, a 30-year-old inmate was attacked and killed at Calipatria State Prison in Imperial County on Monday, department officials said. Authorities identified his 30-year-old cellmate as a suspect.

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— Kate Mather