By Associated Press - Tuesday, October 11, 2016

IONE, Calif. (AP) - Corrections officials say they are investigating the death of an inmate at a Northern California prison as a possible homicide.

The state corrections department says 36-year-old Joshua McCormick was found unresponsive in his cell at Mule Creek State Prison early Tuesday.

Officials say McCormick’s cellmate, 35-year-old Brandon Dean, is suspected in his death at the prison in Ione, about 40 miles southeast of Sacramento.



Dean is serving a life sentence from San Bernardino County for murder and making terrorist threats.

Corrections officials say they will not release more details because of the ongoing investigation.

McCormick was serving a life sentence from Shasta County for three counts of murder and one of attempted murder stemming from the shotgun slayings of three men in the Redding area in 2013.

Copyright © 2026 The Washington Times, LLC.

Please read our comment policy before commenting.