Inmate now charged with first-degree murder from April 5th incident at California...

Inmate now charged with first-degree murder from April 5th incident at California Correctional Institution

April 5, 2025

TEHACHAPI – At 8:07 a.m., California Correctional Institution (CCI) officers responded after incarcerated person Demetrius Cole alerted staff that he was feeling distressed. When officers entered the cell, they found Cole’s cellmate, Parrish Duren, unresponsive with visible injuries. Officers immediately initiated life-saving measures and activated emergency medical services.

Duren was taken to the prison’s triage and treatment area, where medical staff continued life-saving efforts. He was pronounced deceased at 8:55 a.m.

Cole has been placed in restricted housing pending an investigation by the CCI Investigative Services Unit and the Kern County District Attorney’s Office.

The Office of the Inspector General has been notified, and the Kern County Coroner will determine Duren’s official cause of death.

Duren, 38, was received from San Bernardino County on March 19, 2014. He was serving a 16-year sentence for involuntary manslaughter.

Cole, 37, was received from Los Angeles County on August 7, 2015. He is serving a 31-year sentence for attempted second-degree murder and first-degree burglary.

CCI, which opened in 1954, houses approximately 2,400 minimum-, medium-, and maximum-security incarcerated people. The prison, located in Kern County, provides educational, vocational, and mental health services.