Death of child molester at Central Coast state prison under investigation as a homicide

10-1-15 California:

SOLEDAD, California — Officials say the death of a child molester at a prison on California's Central Coast is a homicide.

Corrections officials said Thursday that 45-year-old Pedro Aguilar was found dead in his Salinas Valley State Prison cell on Monday. He was serving a life term from Ventura County for lewd acts with a child under 14 years old.

The Associated Press reported in February that sex offenders account for a disproportionate number of homicide victims in California prisons.

Officials say Aguilar's cellmate, who is serving a life sentence for murder, is suspected in the slaying. Monterey County officials are continuing to investigate.

They did not disclose how Aguilar died.

The prison located in Soledad houses about 3,700 inmates 140 miles southeast of San Francisco. ..Source.. by

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Cellmate suspected in child molester’s death

A man serving a life sentence for child molestation was killed in his cell in Salinas Valley State Prison near Soledad on Monday, according to the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

Pedro Aguilar, 45, was found dead at 9:05 a.m. by prison staff conducting security checks. His cellmate, 59-year-old Jerald Nelson, is suspected of killing Aguilar, state corrections officials said.

Aguilar was serving a life sentence with the possibility of parole for lewd and lascivious acts on a child under 14 years old in Ventura County.

He was admitted to the prison in 2013.

Nelson is serving a life sentence for a first-degree murder conviction in Imperial County. He has been housed in the prison since 1983, according to state corrections officials.

Prison officials are investigating the homicide along with the Monterey County coroner’s office and district attorney’s office. by Scott Morris