An elderly pedophile was found dead in his cell inside a California prison with his cellmate now under investigation for his murder.
Mark Squires, 70, was found unresponsive around 3:30 pm on Tuesday by San Quentin prison staff after an alarm was sounded, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) said in a statement.
Emergency services were immediately called and lifesaving measures were performed on the prisoner, who was imprisoned for lewd acts on a child under the age of 14.
Squires was transported to the prison triage area, where medical staff - who were not associated with the prison - declared him dead at 4:04 pm.
His cellmate, Gustavo Lopez, 36, was whisked away and placed in restrictive housing, where he will remain while the prison performs an investigation into the mysterious death.
Mark Squires, 70, was found unresponsive around 3:30pm on Tuesday by San Quentin prison staff after an alarm was sounded. Emergency services were immediately called and lifesaving measures were performed on the prisoner, who was imprisoned for lewd acts on a child
His cellmate, Gustavo Lopez, 36, was whisked away and placed in restrictive housing, where he will remain while the prison performs an investigation into the mysterious death
Prison staff did not reveal how Squires body was found or what injuries he suffered that led to his death in the alleged homicide.
No other inmates or officers were injured, according to CDCR.
Seventeen inmates deaths have been ruled a homicide across the states prisons this year from January to August, according to CDCR data.
Twenty-five inmates died in custody from various causes in August alone, with a total of nearly 250 since January.
The elderly criminal has been incarcerated at San Quentin since January 2000 and was serving a life sentence with the possibility of parole.
Lopez had been at the facility since January 2020, and he is serving a 13-year sentence for kidnapping, corporal injury on specific persons resulting in traumatic condition, and false imprisonment with violence.
On all three counts, he was a second striker, meaning he had to go to prison after his conviction due to state law.
Prison staff did not reveal how Squires body was found or what injuries he pertained that lead to his death in the alleged homicide
San Quentin (pictured) is the oldest prison as it opened in 1852 and it has housed the likes of Charles Manson
A second striker is someone who has been convicted of a felony before and they are not allowed to be sent to a rehab facility or placed on probation, according to San Diego County.
These prisoners must also serve at least 80 percent of their sentence.
Those who are third strikers face a minimum of 25-years-to-life in prison and cannot earn time off for good behavior or working.
Californias Three Strike Law is meant to dramatically increase punishment for persons convicted of a felony who have previously been convicted of one or more "serious" or "violent" felonies, the county said.
The law has been in effect since March 1994.
San Quentin is the oldest prison as it opened in 1852, and it has housed the likes of Charles Manson.
The prison houses more than 3,000 inmates from minimum to maximum facilities.