Convicted murderer serving life sentence found dead in prison, cellmate suspected

An inmate serving a life sentence at a California prison for a previous murder conviction was found dead inside his cell, and now his cellmate faces potential charges for his death.

According to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, around 8 a.m. Monday, 57-year-old Michael Doss was found unresponsive in his cell at the California Correctional Institute, a supermax prison located in Tehachapi.

Prison guards responded to Doss’s cell and immediately restrained and removed his cellmate, 62-year-old Jake Raper.

Doss received first aid at the prison triage area and was pronounced dead by a paramedic around 8:45 a.m. No staff were injured in the attack.

CDCR officials said Doss had “visible wounds,” but no weapon was recovered at the scene.

Raper has been place into restrictive housing while the investigation remains ongoing, and movement has been limited across the facility.

Raper has been in CDCR custody since September 2020, serving a life sentence with the possibility for parole after a third-strike conviction for assault with a deadly weapon. He could face additional charges following the results of the investigation.

Doss, meanwhile, was convicted in Los Angeles County of first degree murder in 2010. He was serving his own life-sentence with the potential for parole.

The two are one of more than 2,400 inmates at CCI, an all-male institute that houses inmates from medium, high and maximum security levels.