BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — The death in April of an inmate at the state prison in Tehachapi has resulted in a charge of first-degree murder against his cellmate.
Demetrius Cole, 38, was arraigned last month in the death of Parrish Duren, 38, and is due back in court in February, court records show. The two were housed together at California Correctional Institution.
On the morning of April 5, Cole told prison staff he felt “distressed,” according to California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
Officers entered his cell and found Duren motionless with visible injuries, according to CDCR. He was rushed to the prison’s triage area, where life-saving efforts failed to revive him.
Duren was serving a 16-year sentence for involuntary manslaughter out of San Bernardino County. He’d been incarcerated since 2014.
Cole is serving a 31-year sentence for attempted second-degree murder and first-degree burglary out of Los Angeles County. He’s currently being held at Corcoran State Prison, CDCR records show.
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