DELANO, Calif. (AP) - California prison officials say a man convicted of murder two years ago is being investigated in the death of a fellow inmate after he was seen beating the man in a cell.
The Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation says 29-year-old Matthew Johnson has been placed in administrative segregation at Kern Valley State Prison in Delano during the investigation.
Officials say prison staff saw Johnson hitting 51-year-old Richard Ruse in the head with both fists on Thursday. After Johnson was pepper-sprayed and pulled away, staffers found a hand-made weapon in the cell.
Ruse died at a hospital.
Johnson is serving 28 years to life with the possibility of parole after being convicted of a 2015 murder.
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