San Diego County Inmate Accused Of Killing Fellow Inmate In Prison

SAN DIEGO, CA — Two state prison inmates, including one sentenced for a San Diego County burglary and assault, are suspected of killing a fellow inmate at a Sacramento prison, state prison officials said Monday.

Tyler Yates, who was sentenced in 2017 to eight years for first-degree burglary and assault with force likely to produce great bodily injury, is accused in the death of Jonathan Rude at California State Prison, Sacramento.

California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation officials say Yates and inmate Jake Kennedy attacked Rude in the prison's main exercise yard on Sunday afternoon. CDCR says two "improvised weapons" were found at the scene of the fatal attack.

Rude, 39, was sentenced in Butte County last year to four years in prison for vehicle theft.

Along with the San Diego County crimes, Yates, 30, was sentenced last year to life with the possibility of parole for first-degree murder, which CDCR described as an "in-prison offense." A Monday news release did not disclose details regarding the murder, but a separate news release from 2022 alleges Yates and another inmate attacked a fellow inmate at California State Prison, Sacramento, leading to the inmate's death.

— City News Service