Death row inmate dies in prison

Condemned inmate Emilio Avalos, 40, who was on California’s death row from Riverside County, was pronounced dead this week.

Officials said it happened Wednesday at 5:53 p.m. at San Quentin State Prison. The cause of death is unknown pending the results of an autopsy.

Avalos was sentenced to death by a Riverside County jury on Feb. 22, 2013, for the Dec. 19, 2001, first-degree murder of his ex-girlfriend’s boyfriend, 20-year-old Marine Cpl. Henry Lozano, and the Dec. 21, 1994, shooting death of 17-year-old Jahi Collins. In addition to the murder charges, Avalos was also convicted of the attempted murder of Collins’ friend Bobby Wilson, who was left paralyzed in the 1994 gunfire.

Avalos had been on California’s death row since March 5 , 2013.

Since 1978, when California reinstated capital punishment, 71 condemned inmates have died from natural causes, 25 have committed suicide, 13 have been executed in California, one was executed in Missouri, one was executed in Virginia, 8 have died from other causes, and seven (including Avalos) causes of death are pending. There are currently 745 offenders on California’s death row.