After a convicted sexual predator was sentenced to prison, he was forced to share a cell with a dangerous serial killer. Unsurprisingly, the outcome was exactly what one would expect.
The California Department of Corrections has had more than its fair share of problems, but the death of inmates has been a concern in recent years. However, when another inmate’s grisly death garnered the public’s attention, the circumstances were viewed by many in a positive light.
North Kern State Prison (NKSP) officials in Delano confirmed that one inmate, identified as Juan Villanueva, is dead after he was placed in a cell with another dangerous convict. Of course, many have pointed out that the housing situation was the perfect storm for such a scenario, as both of the prisoners were serving time for serious violent crimes.
At 8:49 a.m., a corrections officer was conducting a security/welfare check when he came to the cell housing inmates Juan Villanueva, 53, and Ramon Escobar, 51. The officer noticed that Villanueva was unresponsive in the cell and immediately called for emergency medical staff members. An ambulance was called and the inmate was rushed to the prison’s triage and treatment area. He was declared dead at 9:03 a.m., the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) said in a statement.
There has been little outcry due to the nature of the crimes committed by the deceased. Just five months earlier, Villanueva was ordered to be placed in the CDCR from Los Angeles County for the rape of a minor child. He was sentenced to life in prison with parole for sexually assaulting a child younger than 14 years of age. He was transported to the prison less than three weeks before his death.
Although they had not yet announced the cause of death, investigators said they suspected that Villanueva’s murderer is none other than his cellmate. For whatever reason, the CDCR made the decision to house Villanueva with Escobar, who is a convicted serial killer. Disturbingly, Escobar’s record is even more gruesome than the average murderer, which made him the prime suspect in the homicide.
Escobar was sentenced to CDCR from Los Angeles to serve multiple life sentences. He was given a life sentence without the possibility of parole for two counts of first-degree murder. Additionally, he was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole for three counts of first-degree murder and seven counts of attempted second-degree murder, KGET reported.
Escobar confessed to killing his uncle and aunt in Texas before fleeing to California, where he continued his killing spree. There, he bludgeoned five people to death with a baseball bat as well as injured several others. Many of his victims were homeless individuals in Los Angeles and Santa Monica. Escobar illegally immigrated to the U.S. from El Salvador and was deported six times before the killings.
Although housing in the CDCR is determined by a classification score of compiled criminal records, some have their suspicions that the pair were placed together as a way of naturally ridding the prison system of the worst violent offenders. Regardless of the circumstances, a dangerous predator now has no chance of being released and harming another child.
