Inmate Dies After Arrest In Stepdaughter's Slaying

WATSONVILLE, CA — A Watsonville man accused of his stepdaughter's 2004 death has died, the Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office announced Tuesday.

On Thursday, Raul Mata, 46, succumbed to a self-inflicted wound, the sheriff's office said. Mata was immediately hospitalized after the Sept. 28 injury and treated for weeks.

Mata was accused of murdering Dilcia Mejía, 16, in September 2004 in Miami, Watsonville police previously said in a news release. An arrest warrant showed Mata's DNA was found beneath her fingernails, according the Miami Herald.

Read: Watsonville Man Charged In Stabbing Death Of Stepdaughter