Prison Inmate From Riverside County Suspected In Cellmate's Death

CALIFORNIA — An inmate from Riverside County who is serving a life sentence at California Correctional Institution in Tehachapi is now the suspect in a prison death, according to authorities.

Jake Raper, 62, is currently being held in restrictive housing at the facility after his cellmate was found mortally wounded Monday morning, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation reported.

The investigation into the alleged prison homicide began just after 8 a.m. when prison staff found Raper's cellmate, Michael Doss, 57, unresponsive and suffering from visible wounds.

Both men were inside the cell they shared.

Aid was provided to Doss, and he was transported to the prison’s triage and treatment area where he was pronounced dead at 8:44 a.m., according to CDCR.

Prison officials reported that no weapon was found during an investigation into the alleged homicide, though further details about the slaying were not provided.

The Kern County coroner will determine Doss’s official cause and manner of death.

Doss was received from Los Angeles County on Nov. 22, 2010. He was serving a life sentence with the possibility of parole for first-degree murder.

Raper was received from Riverside County on Sept. 29, 2000. He is serving a sentence of life with the possibility of parole for assault with a deadly weapon as a third-striker.

California Correctional Institution in Tehachapi opened as a male prison in 1954, and houses more than 2,417 medium-, maximum- and high-security inmates. The facility employs approximately 1,344 people, according to CDCR.