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Jailed Man Accused Of Going On Homeless 'Serial Thrill Kill' Dies After Ingesting Cleaner [UPDATED]
Itzcoatl Ocampo, a former marine who was awaiting trial in the deaths of six people, including four homeless men, died Thursday after coming down with an undetermined illness.
Ocampo, 25, was discovered in his jail cell suffering from an unknown ailment, according to City News Service. He was rushed to Western Medical Center in Santa Ana, where he died on Thursday.
Ocampo was awaiting trial on a number of heinous murder charges stemming from what prosecutors allege was a "serial thrill-kill" rampage that left six people dead, including four homeless men in November and December of 2011 and a mother and her son in October of that year, the L.A. Times reports. Armed with a hunting knife, Ocampo would allegedly select his targets and stalk them for days while waiting for the perfect moment to strike, according to the L.A. Times.
He had been in a single-person jail cell since he was arrested in January 2012 and a trial date was set for late 2014. Orange County prosecutors were going to seek the death penalty against him.
UPDATE: According to the Orange County Register, Ocampo died after swallowing Ajax, a common household cleaner. This information comes from a letter sent out to families of Ocampo's alleged victims by the Orange County District Attorney's Office. An official autopsy will be performed next week. It is not known how Ocampo got a hold of the cleaner.
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