Inmate Suspected Of Strangling Cellmate At Central Valley Prison

DELANO, Kern County (AP) — An inmate serving a life sentence is suspected of killing his cellmate in a Central Valley prison, according to state corrections officials.

48-year-old Carmen T. Guerrero was found dead of apparent strangulation at Kern Valley State Prison early Friday morning.

Guerrero was serving a life sentence for second-degree murder. His cellmate, identified as 42-year-old Miguel Crespo, was named as a suspect. Crespo is serving a life sentence for first-degree murder.

It's the fourth suspected homicide at the prison this year.

A prison spokesman, Lt. Jeff Smith, said Friday that the propensity for violence in the prison is "very high" among the maximum-security inmates.

The prison, which is between Fresno and Bakersfield, screens inmates before housing them together. Officials will review what might have led to the latest death.

The prison opened in 2005 and houses about 3,700 inmates.

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