A San Quentin inmate scheduled for execution has now died from what appears to be complications related to COVID-19, according to information provided by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
Condemned inmate Pedro Arias, 58, was pronounced dead on Sunday, August 9th at an outside hospital. A coroner will determine the exact cause of his death.
He was sentenced to death in Sacramento County back in 1990 for first-degree murder and second-degree robbery with a gun. He was also sentenced to life without parole for kidnapping, ransom and extortion, and sex crimes against a child under the age of 14, and the at included forcible rape.
Arias had been on death row since 1990, but all executions in California were halted by an executive order from Governor Gavin Newsom shortly after he took office. Newsom has also ordered the release of approximately 8,000 CDCR prison inmates to prevent the spread of coronavirus behind bars, though that order does not apply to prisoners waiting on death row.