MCSP Investigating Death of Incarcerated Person as Homicide 

October 20, 2024 – IONE, CA – California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation officials are investigating the October 18, 2024, death of an incarcerated person at Mule Creek State Prison (MCSP) as a homicide.

At approximately 10:20 p.m., officers were conducting security rounds when they found incarcerated person Emil Jones (BW2464) unresponsive in his cell. Officers immediately initiated life-saving measures and activated 911. Emergency medical personnel continued CPR as the inmate was transported to the Triage and Treatment Area. He was pronounced deceased at 11:08 p.m. by a physician.

Another incarcerated person, Jose Lizarraga (BB8469), who was housed in the same cell, was removed from the cell and placed in restraints. Lizarraga made a statement to officers regarding the incident. He has since been placed in restricted housing pending an investigation by the MCSP Investigative Services Unit and the Amador County District Attorney’s Office.

The Office of the Inspector General has been notified, and the Amador County Coroner will determine Jones’s official cause of death.

Jones, 57, was received from San Diego County on October 17, 2023, to serve a 16-year sentence for Assault with a Firearm.

Lizarraga, 43, was received from San Joaquin County on December 23, 2016, to serve a 16-year sentence for carjacking evade or attempt to evade Peace Officer while Driving Recklessly.

MCSP, which opened in 1987, houses more than 3,800 minimum-, medium- and maximum-security incarcerated people. The prison, located in Amador County, provides educational, medical and mental health services.

Source & photos: CDCR