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Death Of Inmate At Cal State Prison Investigated As 'Suspicious'

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33-year-old Gordon Rowell was found unconscious in his cell at a California State Prison in Lancaster on Friday. (Photo by txking via Shutterstock)

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The death of an inmate who was found unresponsive in his cell at a California State Prison facility in Lancaster is being investigated as "suspicious" and is pending an autopsy, according to a statement from the L.A. County Sheriff's Department. On Friday, an inmate alerted prison guards that 33-year-old Gordon Rowell was unconsious, reports CBS L.A. Rowell was found unresponsive around 9:30 a.m., and an ambulance was called. Lifesaving measures were taken, but Rowell was pronounced dead at 9:44 a.m.

City News Service writes that Rowell had been in custody since 2003, and was serving a 13-year sentence for voluntary manslaughter and resisting arrest.

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