DELANO, Calif. (KERO) — Authorities are looking into the death of an inmate at the Kern Valley State Prison as a homicide.
According to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, 35-year-old Hector Jimenez was attacked by two other inmates back on June 24th at around 7 p.m. Inmates Adrian Gurrola and Esteban Ceja allegedly attacked Jimenez in a day room. He was taken to the prison's "treatment area" where he was later pronounced dead.
Prison officials recovered an "inmate-manufactured weapon" from the scene of the attack.
Jiminez was serving a 26-year sentence for voluntary manslaughter as part of a street gang.
Ceja, 29, was serving a life sentence for second-degree murder and attempted second-degree murder. Gurrola, 31, was serving a life sentence for first-degree murder, two counts of attempted first-degree murder, as well as other charges. Both men were serving additional time for previous incidents while in prison.
The exact cause of death has not been released at this time.
