The death of an inmate at California State Prison, Sacramento, is being investigated as a homicide, officials said Friday.
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said Dennis Romero, 40, was declared dead by paramedics in the prison’s triage area after being found unresponsive in his cell shortly before 3 p.m.
Booking photo of Dennis Romero
California Department of Corrections and Rehabiitation
According to the CDCR, 23-year-old Jacob Forbes, Romero’s cellmate, was placed into restrictive housing.
Romero had been serving a life sentence with the possibility of parole for second-degree murder. He was first received into the state prison system in 1996 and later received additional sentences for possessing or manufacturing a weapon while incarcerated and two separate assaults on correctional officers involving gassing.
Forbes was received into the state prison system in April 2024. He is serving a three-year, four-month sentence for second-degree robbery, second-degree burglary and attempted second-degree robbery.
Booking photo of Jacob Forbes
California Department of Corrections and Rehabiitation
The CDCR said the prison’s investigative services unit and the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office are investigating. The Office of the Inspector General has also been notified, officials said.
California State Prison, Sacramento, also known as New Folsom Prison, is located on the south side of Folsom Lake in the city of Folsom.
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