Benjamin W. Watta
Benjamin W. Watta, 80, died on December 22, 2025, in his cell at Pelican Bay State Prison in Crescent City, Del Norte County, California. According to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, staff found him unresponsive during a count or routine check, and paramedics pronounced him dead shortly afterward, around 11:37 a.m. The corrections department said the Del Norte County Coroner will determine the cause of death, and that manner is still pending. Reports say he had been serving a death sentence imposed in 2009.
Cause of death, as reported: Cause not yet determined
Reported by: California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (the agency that held him). The only account of how this person died comes from the agency that held him.
News reports (4)
- Man sentenced to death for OC killing in 1980 dies in prison
- Condemned Incarcerated Person Benjamin Watta Dies - California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
- Man sentenced to death for California killing in 1980 dies in prison
- Nearly 45 Years After Brutal Murder, Death Row Inmate Dies at Pelican Bay