Inmate Sentenced In San Diego County Suspected In Prison Homicide

SAN DIEGO, CA — An inmate sentenced in San Diego County has been placed in restricted housing after another inmate was found dead at a central California prison, state prison officials said Wednesday.

Joseph L. Rountree, 43, was placed in restricted housing after Carl J. Anderson Jr., 41, was found unresponsive around 8:30 p.m. Tuesday in a housing unit at the Substance Abuse Treatment Facility and State Prison in Corcoran, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

Staff called 911 and began life-saving measures before taking Anderson to the prison's treatment area. Paramedics pronounced him dead at 9 p.m.

Officials did not state how Anderson died or why his death was being investigated as a homicide.

The prison's investigative unit and the Kings County District Attorney's Office were investigating, while the California Office of the Inspector General was notified.

Rountree has been imprisoned since July 5, 2023 on a seven-year sentence out of San Diego County for assault with a deadly weapon, plus an enhancement for inflicting great bodily injury involving domestic violence.

Anderson was sentenced in Contra Costa County to five years for assault with force likely to cause great bodily injury with an enhancement for inflicting great bodily injury.