Santa Rita Jail Inmate Death Being Investigated As Homicide: Sheriff

DUBLIN, CA — A 37-year-old Santa Rita Jail inmate died Tuesday, according to the Alameda County Sheriff's Office. The death of Angel Elias Rivera, an Oakland man arrested in May 2022 on suspicion of murder, is being investigated as a homicide.

At around 11:59 p.m. Monday, deputies responded to Rivera's cell after his cellmate activated the emergency call button, the sheriff's office said in a news release. Deputies found Rivera unresponsive with visible injuries. They arranged to have Rivera transported to a local hospital for treatment. A hospital physician pronounced him dead at 1:11 a.m. Tuesday.

Jail staff have informed his family and are investigating the death, ACSO said. Per regulations, they have notified the District Attorney's Office and are submitting a report to the California Attorney General's Office.

Rivera was arrested by the California Highway Patrol on May 21, 2022, ACSO said. At the time, he was on probation and driving with a suspended license after a prior DUI conviction, according to a criminal complaint obtained by the Bay Area News Group. While driving his car the wrong way on Highway 27, he allegedly killed 30-year-old Heidi Gerrish and injured her partner, brother, and sister-in-law, according to the report.

Rivera is the first person to die at Santa Rita Jail in 2025, and the 72nd person to die at Santa Rita Jail since 2014, according to records reviewed by KTVU.

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