The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) has launched a homicide investigation after an inmate was found dead inside his cell at the California Correctional Institution (CCI) in Tehachapi on September 9.
According to officials, staff discovered 26-year-old Malik Campbell unresponsive in his cell around 4:30 p.m. and immediately removed his cellmate, 29-year-old Donte Walker. Prison staff began life-saving measures and activated 911. Emergency responders continued CPR as Campbell was taken to the prison’s triage and treatment area, where he was pronounced dead at 5:04 p.m.
No weapons were found at the scene, and no staff or other inmates were injured.
Walker has since been placed in restricted housing while the CCI Investigative Services Unit and the Kern County District Attorney’s Office conduct their investigation. The Office of the Inspector General has been notified, and the Kern County Coroner will determine the official cause of death.
Campbell, originally from San Diego County, entered state prison on Oct. 23, 2024, to serve a 26-year sentence for voluntary manslaughter with a gang enhancement, assault with force likely to cause great bodily injury, and carrying a loaded firearm in public.
Walker, from Sacramento County, was admitted to state prison on June 16, 2022, to serve four years for second-degree robbery as a second striker. Later that year, he was sentenced in Placer County to an additional eight months for conspiracy to commit a crime.
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