An inmate in a Solano County state prison is suspected of killing another incarcerated man, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said Tuesday.
On Jan. 4 just before 7:30 p.m., a physical fight occurred in a housing unit of the California Medical Facility prison in Vacaville between inmates Joe Duty, 30, and Stephenson Kim, 45, the CDCR said.
Prison staff discovered Kim unconscious and life-saving measures were attempted. He was taken to the prison’s triage and treatment area and then taken to an outside hospital.
On Monday, Kim was pronounced dead at 6:30 p.m. at an outside hospital, according to the CDCR.
Inmate Duty was placed in restricted housing and will remain there while a homicide investigation is carried out by the prison and the Solano County District Attorney’s Office.
Kim came to the state prison in Vacaville in May 2012 after receiving a life sentence without the possibility of parole plus 255 years for first degree murder and attempted first degree murder, the CDCR said. Kim was a gang member that entered a cafe in Cypress, California in 2004 and fired his gun indiscriminately, killing a 22-year-old woman and shooting at seven others, wounding several.
Duty was most recently received in February 2025 with a sentence of 14 years for rape of a minor by force/violence/fear and lewd or lascivious acts with a child under 14 with force/violence/fear.
The California Medical Facility is a medium-security prison.
Well…. at least it was nobody nice.
Who says there’s no death penalty in California anymore, seems to be there is inside the prisons themselves. Whatever work I’ll give it a thumbs up.
A violent murderer won’t be killing anyone anymore, and with luck, a vicious rapist
turned murderer will be sentenced to life.
Killed two birds with one stone.
Law Enforcement call these twofer. . .
14 years for that, seems low for ruining some innocent person’s life. Hopefully the imates will take care of Joe Duty for his crimes against a child.
Prison is for crappy people “not jail, prison” so not unlikely to have this happen. Although it happens in jails too… https://www.al.com/life/2025/12/discovery-channel-tv-star-accused-of-killing-cellmate-in-jail-faces-murder-charge.html
frogs might be blind but I don’t think justice will be.
Hey liberals who believe convicted Felons belong on our streets instead of
prison, prime examples of persons who should NEVER be on our streets.