Inmate’s death at California state prison investigated as a homicide, officials say
An inmate death Thursday at the California Substance Abuse Treatment Facility and State Prison, Corcoran, is being investigated as a homicide, prison officials said.
James D. Torres was pronounced dead at 5:39 a.m., according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
The 67-year-old was taken to the institution’s medical facility after an officer found him unresponsive in his cell; he was pronounced death a short time later, according to CDCR officials. The cause of death was not disclosed.
Torres was admitted from Sacramento County on Jan. 23, 1996, to serve 50 years for rape of a spouse with force/violence and sodomy with force, both strike offenses.
Torres’ cellmate, Norbest Arres III, is accused of killing Torres, officials said in a news release. Arrest, 37, was admitted from Riverside County on Oct. 25, 2018, to serve six years for possession of/owning a firearm by a felon or addict to include three one-year enhancements for having a prior prison term when the non-violent new offense is any felony,
The Kings County District Attorney’s Office is assisting with the investigation.
