A convicted serial killer is suspected of killing his a pedophile who serving a life sentence for the sexual assault of a child.
Ramon Escobar reprotley killed pedophile Juan Villanueva, 53, who was found unresponsive by North Kern State Prison officials during a welfare check on Friday morning.
Villanueva was pronounced dead at the scene.
Escobar, 51, who pleaded guilty to killing five men and wounding seven others last year, was put in a cell with Villanueva after being transferred to North Kern State Prison.
The convicted serial killer has since been placed in restrictive housing after the Kern County Coroner ruled pedophile Villanueva’s death a homicide.
The prison’s Investigate Services Unit is now probing Villanueva’s death.
Escobar embarked on a series of deadly assaults in Santa Monica after fleeing Texas last year. The killer is said to beat his victims with bolt cutters or a baseball bat while they slept on the streets during a bloody two-week crime spree.
Escobar arrived in prison custody last December, and Villanueva arrived on Feb. 2, according to abc7chicago.
The two men were housed in the Reception Center, which processes prisoners from various California counties.
Inmates are held for up to 90 days while authorities determine what part of the state prison system they should be sent to.
Escobar, originally from El Salvador, has been deported six times.
Justice one way or another