Richard Stitely
Richard E. Stitely, 71, was held at San Quentin State Prison in Marin County, California, and died there on June 24, 2020. The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said staff found him unresponsive in his single cell, that he was pronounced dead about half an hour later, and that it reported no signs of trauma. He later tested positive for COVID-19, and his death was reportedly the first at the prison in an outbreak that infected more than 1,100 people after transfers from another California prison. The Marin County sheriff-coroner's office had not determined the cause of death, which remained pending, and county officials had asked the governor to intervene at the prison.
Cause of death, as reported: Died of illness. A post-mortem examination found he had COVID-19, while the official cause of death was still pending with the Marin County coroner.
Reported by: Marin County sheriff-coroner's officials (medical examiner or coroner).
News reports (6)
- Condemned Inmate Richard Eugene Stitely Dies - California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
- 'I feel like I'm going to come home in a body bag': San Quentin inmate describes dire conditions inside prison as coronavirus cases skyrocket
- San Quentin coronavirus outbreak spreads: 1,113 prisoners infected, death row inmate dies
- 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