Condemned man dies in San Quentin prison cell: CDCR

Amy Larson
·1 min read
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SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — An inmate who was sentenced to death nearly four decades ago was found deceased on Monday inside his cell at San Quentin prison. Daniel Jenkins, 68, lived more than half of his life on San Quentin’s death row, prison officials said.

Just before 7 a.m., he was found unresponsive in his cell and pronounced deceased at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center, prison officials said.

Daniel Jenkins’s mug shot from 2018 was released by the CDCR.
Daniel Jenkins’s mug shot from 2018 was released by the CDCR.

“The cause of death is pending the results of an autopsy; however, the death is being investigated as a suicide. Jenkins was single-celled. The Marin County Coroner’s Office will determine his official cause of death,” the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation wrote.

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Jenkins was sentenced to death on Oct. 6, 1998, in Los Angeles County for first-degree murder and attempted murder. He ambushed an off-duty Los Angeles Police Department detective in 1985 while the detective was picking up his six-year-old son from daycare, according to CDCR.

Detective Thomas C. Williams was shot eight times just hours after he testified against Jenkins in court for an armed robbery trial, the Los Angeles Times reported. His son was not injured.

There are currently 640 condemned people in California prisons, inmate records show.

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