NewsLocal News

Actions

Man who killed California cellmate gets life in prison

Posted

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (AP) -- A man who stomped to death his cellmate at Kern Valley State Prison has been sentenced to life in prison without chance of parole.

The Bakersfield Californian says 47-year-old Dennis Bratton was sentenced Tuesday.

Authorities say Bratton killed Andrew Keel at the Delano lockup in 2013, three years after beating and stomping another inmate so badly he needed brain surgery.

Prosecutors had sought the death penalty for Bratton, who's already serving life for bank robbery but jurors deadlocked 10-2 in favor of capital punishment.

A mistrial was declared and prosecutors waived death instead of retrying the trial's penalty phase. Keel's sister, Jessica McCoy, spoke at the sentencing hearing.

She said Bratton has never shown remorse for the killing and that looking at him, she saw only "hatred in his eyes."

,

Weather

Daily Forecast

View Hourly Forecast

Day

Conditions

HI / LO

Precip

Monday

12/29/2025

Mostly Sunny

53° / 41°

2%

Tuesday

12/30/2025

Cloudy

57° / 45°

4%

Wednesday

12/31/2025

Cloudy

54° / 51°

24%

Thursday

01/01/2026

AM Showers

61° / 50°

77%

Friday

01/02/2026

Mostly Cloudy

63° / 54°

9%

Saturday

01/03/2026

AM Showers

59° / 49°

42%

Sunday

01/04/2026

Partly Cloudy

59° / 47°

17%

Monday

01/05/2026

Partly Cloudy

58° / 47°

10%