Nicholas Rodriguez
Nicholas Anthony Rodriguez, 24, of Oakland, died in May 2015 at California State Prison, Solano in Vacaville, where he was held. His mother, Maria Rodriguez, said she had been given no details and was still waiting for answers. The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation describes his death as a homicide, and an autopsy report obtained by the Associated Press, attributed to the Solano County coroner's office, says he died from blows to the head. His body was found in a shower stall about 14 and a half hours after a riot in his housing unit, and officials first assumed he had escaped; investigators are still examining whether the brawl was staged, and no one has been charged, with a cellmate considered the only suspect.
Cause of death, as reported: Killed by another person in custody. Prison officials say another incarcerated man is suspected of killing him, and an autopsy obtained by the Associated Press says he died from blows to the head before his body was mutilated.
Reported by: California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (the agency that held him); Solano County coroner's office (medical examiner or coroner); Associated Press (reporters).