Corrections officials in California have launched a murder investigation after an Alameda County inmate serving a life sentence died in a Central Valley prison last weekend.
Darius J. Swain, 41, died Saturday at Kern Valley State Prison near the community of Delano, according to the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Swain was admitted to the state prison system in 2019 after being convicted of human trafficking of a minor, a second offense, along with pimping, pandering and second-degree theft.
Shortly before 3:20 p.m., officials said jail staff found his cellmate with blood on his clothing. After removing the cellmate without incident, jail staff found Swain unconscious in the cell.
California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
Medical staff performed life-saving measures on Swain and transported him to the jail’s treatment and triage area. Paramedics arrived at the jail and pronounced Swain dead at 3:48 p.m
Swain’s cellmate, identified as 58-year-old Gregory Clark of Los Angeles County, has been placed in restricted housing pending an investigation.
Further details about the incident were not immediately available.
Officials said Clark was arrested in 2011 after being sentenced to 22 years for corporal injury to a spouse or cohabitant, a second-strike violation. In early 2021, Clark was sentenced to an additional two years after being convicted of assault by an inmate with a deadly weapon.
Officials said the Kern County Coroner’s Office will determine Swain’s cause of death.
