California death row inmate dies of apparent coronavirus complications
Troy A. Ashmus, 58, had been on death row since 1986 for the rape and murder of a 7-year-old girl
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Another death row inmate in California died at the hospital on Monday amid an outbreak of the coronavirus at the San Quentin State Prison, officials said.
Troy A. Ashmus, 58, was pronounced dead at the hospital outside of the state prison in the San Francisco Bay Area on Monday, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said.
His death appeared consistent with complications from COVID-19, the department said. Though his official cause of death has yet to be determined by the medical examiner.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Ashmus was the seventh death row inmate and the 13th overall at San Quentin State Prison to die from either confirmed or suspected coronavirus cases, Mercury News reported.
Troy A. Ashmus, 58, died at the hospital outside (California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation)
He had been on death row since 1986. Ashmus, then in his early 20s, was convicted of raping and murdering 7-year-old Marcella Davis in 1984. The girl had biked to a Sacramento park in May but never returned. Prosecutors said her body was found with plastic bags, cellophane and her own shorts shoved down her throat.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Ashmus was charged with first-degree murder, forcible rape and sodomy of a victim under 14 with force and lewd and lascivious acts on a child, KOVR reported.
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The entire California state prison system has recorded nearly 7,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases among inmates. Of those, more than 2,000 remain active, with a considerable number coming from San Quentin. At least 39 inmates in the prison system have been confirmed to have died from coronavirus complications. Corrections officials said more than 800 employees have active cases of COVID-19.