Two prisoners are accused of killing a fellow inmate during a fatal prison yard attack at Salinas Valley State Prison in California.
Correctional staff saw Dillon King, 28, and Justin Learmont, 44, approach Michael Loftin, 43, in a recreation yard at about 12.50pm on Monday, 21 September, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
The pair allegedly attacked Loftin with an improvised weapon before officers intervened and restrained them. The weapon was recovered at the scene.
Staff called 911 and began life-saving treatment, but a prison doctor pronounced Loftin dead at 1.19pm.
King and Learmont have been placed in restricted housing while the Salinas Valley State Prison Investigative Services Unit and the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office investigate the death as a homicide. The California Office of the Inspector General has also been notified.
No motive has been disclosed, and officials have not said how the improvised weapon was obtained or whether the three men had any known dispute.
Loftin had been serving a life sentence with the possibility of parole after being convicted of first-degree murder, with an enhancement for intentionally firing a gun and causing great bodily injury or death. He was received into the California prison system from Del Norte County in November 2020.
King was serving sentences from Riverside County for second-degree robbery, attempted first-degree burglary and receiving stolen property. He also received a further sentence in 2024 for assault with force likely to cause great bodily injury.
Learmont was serving a life sentence with the possibility of parole for attempted second-degree murder and assault with a firearm. He was also serving a 17-year sentence imposed in Monterey County for an in-prison assault involving a deadly weapon.
Further criminal charges against King and Learmont will be determined once the investigation is complete.
