Wasco Inmate Serving Time For Child Molestation Beaten To Death

WASCO, CA – A California inmate who was serving time for molesting a child under 14 was beaten to death by a fellow inmate over the weekend, officials said. Agustin Duran, 66, was punched in the face and chest by 19-year-old Andres Ayon at the Wasco State Prison on Saturday night, officials said in a release late Wednesday.

Correctional officers responded around 7:20 pm. Saturday.

"An alarm was sounded and all inmates got down on the ground with the exception of Ayon, who continued to strike Duran," officials said.

When staff deployed a pepper spray grenade, Ayon complied and lied down on the ground. He was handcuffed and moved to a temporary holding cell. Duran was placed on a gurney and rushed to a triage treatment area.

Just after 8:20 p.m., Duran was airlifted to a nearby hospital and was declared dead around 4:45 p.m. Sunday. He had been serving 55 years to life with the possibility of parole for lewd and lascivious acts with a child under 14 years old out of Los Angeles County.

Ayon was treated at the prison for minor injuries and has been placed in the institution’s administrative segregation unit.

Ayon was serving a six-year sentence out of Kern County for robbery and use of a deadly weapon.

An investigation remains ongoing.

Wasco State Prison primarily provides short-term housing so inmate can be assessed for their physical and mental health in order to determine what security level they require, as well as identify what other programs they'll need and where they should be institutionalized.

The prison houses nearly 5,000 inmates and employs about 1,500 people.

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