A Tehachapi inmate told staff he felt 'distressed.' His cellmate was pronounced dead an hour later
Apr 05, 2025
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) -- At about 8:07 a.m. Saturday, inmate Demetrius Cole told staff at Tehachapi's California Correctional Institution he felt "distressed."
When officers entered his cell they learned why -- Cole's cellmate, Parrish Duren, was motionless and had visible injuries, accordi
ng to a news release from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
Duren, 38, was rushed to the prison's triage area, where life-saving efforts failed to revive him, the release said. He was pronounced dead at 8:55 a.m. His cause of death will be released by the coroner's office.
Duren was received from San Bernardino County on March 19, 2014, and was serving a 16-year sentence for involuntary manslaughter.
Cole, 37, has been placed in restricted housing pending the results of an investigation by the prison and Kern County District Attorney's Office.
He's serving a 31-year sentence for attempted second-degree murder and first-degree burglary and was received from Los Angeles County. ...read more read less