Joseph S. Cordova
Joseph S. Cordova, 75, had been held on death row at San Quentin State Prison since 2007. The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said he was found unresponsive in his single cell on July 1, 2020, and was pronounced dead about fourteen minutes later, with no signs of trauma. Officials said it was unknown whether COVID-19 caused his death, which came during a large outbreak at the prison and was described as its first known coronavirus death; the Marin County Coroner was to determine the cause and whether the virus was involved. No source reports the cause of death as confirmed.
Cause of death, as reported: Cause not yet determined. The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said it was unknown whether COVID-19 caused his death, and the Marin County Coroner would determine the cause.
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 (5)
- Condemned Inmate Joseph Safarino Cordova Dies - News Releases - California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
- Coronavirus outbreak: San Quentin death row inmate dies amid surge in COVID-19 cases at prison
- Coronavirus: These killers died on San Quentin’s Death Row
- By the numbers: A look at who has died of coronavirus in California prisons
- Coronavirus Prison Fatalities Surpass Two Decades of Executions; COVID-19 Has Killed More California Death Row Prisoners Than the State Has Executed in 27 Years