Inmate killed at Kern County prison, investigators suspect cellmate

DELANO, California — Corrections officials are investigating the death of a California Prison inmate. They say the death was a homicide and the man's cellmate is the suspect.

The Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said in a statement said an inmate at that the unidentified inmate at Kern Valley State Prison was found unresponsive in his cell Thursday morning and declared dead an hour later. His cell and its contents are being processed as a crime scene.

Coroner's investigators are working to determine the cause of death.

Officials say the man's cellmate, 43-year-old Dennis John Bratton, is suspected in the killing. Bratton has been serving a life sentence since 1997 for attempted murder and assault.

The prison about 40 miles northwest of Bakersfield near Delano houses about 3,800 prisoners of every security level.

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