Officials are investigating the death of 51-year-old inmate Renee A. Rodriguez as a homicide following an assault by fellow inmate Kenneth M. Wilson at California State Prison, Los Angeles County (LAC), on April 27. The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) reported the incident occurred around 7:15 p.m. when staff witnessed Wilson, 30, attacking Rodriguez in the prison’s dayroom.
In response, officers deployed chemical agents and non-lethal weapons to break up the assault. Despite immediate emergency care and being transported to an outside medical facility, Rodriguez was pronounced dead at 7:53 p.m. by a Los Angeles County Fire Department paramedic.
Two improvised weapons were recovered from the scene. Wilson, who is serving a life sentence without parole for a murder conviction in Riverside County, has been moved to restricted housing while investigations into the incident continue.
The CDCR has vowed to pursue full accountability as the investigation progresses.
