California prison inmate, convicted in Yolo County, suspected in homicide of cellmate
State corrections officials are investigating the death of an inmate this week at a prison Central California as a homicide, and identified the victim’s cellmate, received from Yolo County, as a suspect.
Staff of Wasco State Prison in Kern County found Scott Gunter, 59, unresponsive in his cell Tuesday evening, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said in a news release. He was pronounced dead about a half-hour later at the prison’s triage and treatment area.
CDCR identified Gunter’s cellmate, Eugene Stroud, 44, as a suspect in the homicide. The exact cause of death remains under investigation by Kern County coroner’s officials.
Stroud was incarcerated at the prison Feb. 28, serving a sentence of more than 25 years on a conviction out of Yolo County. Stroud last August pleaded no contest to two counts of corporal injury and one count of making criminal threats to cause great bodily injury or death.
Stroud received enhancements for “inflicting great bodily injury involving domestic violence, personal use of a dangerous or deadly weapon, and two prior felony convictions of a serious offense,” according to the CDCR news release.
Yolo County Superior Court records show Stroud’s conviction stemmed from a February 2021 arrest by the West Sacramento Police Department.
The prison received Gunter Feb. 23 out of San Diego County. He was serving a two-year sentence for failing to register as a sex offender, state corrections officials said.
Wasco State Prison officials and the Kern County Sheriff’s Office are investigating the death. The state Office of the Inspector General was also notified, CDCR said.
