An inmate at a California prison is being held in restrictive housing on suspicion of killing his cellmate Friday morning.
The discovery happened just after 6:30 a.m. at Mule Creek State Prison in Amador County, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
Prison staff found 48-year-old Robert Cole unresponsive in his cell. Cole was taken to the prison’s medical facility but was pronounced deceased shortly after, officials said.
His cellmate, Justin Welsh, was placed in restrictive housing and is considered the suspect in the death investigation.
Cole had been serving a life sentence at Mule Creek after he was convicted in Placer County on multiple charges of child molestation, including multiple counts of sexual abuse of a child under the age of 10. He was convicted in August 2019 to a life sentence with the possibility of parole.
Welsh, 36, is currently serving an 18-year sentence for domestic violence-related charges with previous felony convictions. He was sentenced out of San Bernardino County in May 2023.
Cole’s death is currently under investigation by the prison’s investigative unit, and his exact cause of death will be determined by an autopsy conducted by the local medical examiner.
The Amador County District Attorney’s Office will conduct its own investigation to determine if charges will be filed.
Mule Creek State Prison is located in the town of Ione, about an hour southeast of Sacramento. The prison houses more than inmates 3,800 inmates from all levels of security.
It’s the same prison where notorious killer David Brinson allegedly strangled his wife during a conjugal visit late last year.