An inmate is accused of killing his cellmate at High Desert State Prison on Tuesday, authorities say.
Ivan Mejia, 26, was found dead in his cell Tuesday evening, said prison spokesman Lt. Charlie Hahn. Prison authorities say they suspect Mejia's cellmate, 27-year-old Angel Gomez, in the killing and have placed him in the Administrative Segregation Unit pending further investigation, Hahn said.
Mejia's exact cause of death has not been released by the coroner's office, Hahn said.
Mejia arrived at High Desert, which houses 4,600 inmates in Susanville, in March 2009 after he was convicted in Los Angeles County of first-degree murder, Hahn said. He was serving a 60-years-to-life sentence.
Gomez came to High Desert in November of 2009. In 2006, Gomez was convicted in Los Angeles County of attempted first-degree murder and is serving a sentence of 120-years-to-life, Hahn said.
The death is being investigated by the Lassen County District Attorney's Office, the Lassen County Sheriff's Office, and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation's Investigative Services Unit at the prison. The Office of Inspector General's Bureau of Independent Review also has been notified, according to the CDCR.
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