​San Quentin Death Row ​Inmate Dies, Coronavirus Suspected

SAN QUENTIN, CA — An outbreak of the coronavirus at San Quentin State Prison in Marin County has left another death row inmate dead.

Orlando G. Romero, 48, died Sunday at an outside hospital from complications that appeared to be related to COVID-19, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. A coroner will determine his exact cause of death.

Romero, sentenced to death along with his brother Christopher Self in 1996, went on a crime spree that left three people dead in Riverside County.

Romero was sentenced for first-degree murder and second-degree robbery while armed with a firearm. He was also sentenced to three life-with-parole sentences for attempted first-degree murder armed with a firearm, attempted first-degree murder with other offenses, and kidnapping/robbery while armed with a firearm and other robbery offenses.

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Romero is the latest inmate at San Quentin whose death has been linked to COVID-19. Across California, 47 state prison inmates with confirmed cases of COVID-19 have died, including 19 at San Quentin, according to the CDCR website that tracks cases and deaths.

Out of 8,274 COVID-19 cases confirmed so far among state prison inmates, 2,184 have been at San Quentin.

There are currently 715 people on California's death row. The last execution at San Quentin was in 2006.

Also see:

• California Coronavirus: Latest Updates On Cases, Orders, Closures
• Coronavirus In Marin County: Latest News
• Marin Partners With Bay Area Company For Coronavirus Testing
• Marin County Partners With University For Coronavirus Tracing