Inmates in a California prison are being held in a restrictive home on suspicion of killing a cellmate on Friday morning.
The discovery occurred at Lava Creek State Jail in Amador County at 6:30 a.m., according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
Jail staff discovered that 48-year-old Robert Cole did not respond to his cell. Cole was taken to a prison medical facility but was declared to have died soon after, officials said.
His cellmate Justin Wales is placed in a restrictive home and is considered a suspect in the death investigation.
Robert E. Cole, 48, was found to be unresponsive in his cells at the Lava Creek State Prison on April 4, 2025 (California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Department)
Cole was sentenced to life in Mule Creek after being convicted in Placer County on multiple child abuse charges, including multiple counts of sexual abuse of children under the age of 10.
Wales, 36, is currently sentenced to 18 years in prison for domestic violence-related charges convicted of a previous felony. He was declared in May 2023 by San Bernardino County.
Justin Wales, 36, is shown in this mug shot provided by CDCR. Wales is serving an 18-year sentence after convictions from San Bernardino County on various charges. (California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation)
Cole’s death is currently under investigation by the prison investigators, and his exact cause of death will be determined by an autopsy conducted by a local medical inspector.
The Amador County District Attorney’s Office will conduct its own investigation to determine whether a charge will be filed.
The Mule Creek State prison is located in the town of Aeon, about an hour southeast of Sacramento. The prison is home to 3,800 inmates from all levels of security.
It is in the same prison where infamous murderer David Brinson allegedly strangled his wife to death during a couple’s visit late last year.
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