L.A. County man found dead in state prison; authorities investigating possible homicide by fellow inmate
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation is investigating the death of an incarcerated man in North Kern State Prison.
According to a release from the CDCR, an officer conducting a welfare check of the prison’s Reception Center approached a cell occupied by 25-year-old Ricardo Saldivar and 47-year-old Peter Valencia around 2:08 p.m. Monday afternoon and found Saldivar unresponsive.
Responding staff immediately initiated lifesaving measures, but Saldivar was pronounced deceased in the prison’s triage and treatment area at 2:19 p.m., police said.
The Kern County Coroner has not yet determined Saldivar’s official cause of death, but it is being investigated as a homicide.
According to a release from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, an officer conducting a welfare check found 25-year-old Ricardo Saldivar (right) unresponsive in his cell on Monday, July 3, 2023. His cellmate, 47-year-old Peter Valencia (left) is being investigated, but the Kern County Coroner has not determined an official cause of death. (CDCR)
Valencia and Saldivar were transported to North Kern State Prison from Los Angeles County in May and June of 2023, respectively. Both men were imprisoned for murder-related charges; Valencia is serving 18 years for attempted murder as a second striker, while Saldivar was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole for first-degree murder along with a consecutive sentence for attempted first-degree murder.
Officials have limited movement to the Reception Center to facilitate the investigation being conducted by the state prison.
North Kern State Prison houses approximately 3,500 inmates. While the general population portion of the institution focuses on providing educational and vocational opportunities to inmates, the Reception Center processes incoming prisoners throughout counties in California by compiling criminal records and sentence histories within a 90-day period to determine classification score and institutional placement, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
Source: KTLA Los Angeles
