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Central California Prison Inmate Dies Weeks After Cell Assault

CORCORAN, Calif. (AP) - California corrections officials say an inmate at Corcoran state prison has died weeks after an assault from his cellmate.

The state Department of Corrections announced in a statement Tuesday that the 59-year-old man was serving a life sentence for assault with a deadly weapon. The crime, which occurred in Los Angeles County, was the man's third strike, though he could eventually have been paroled.

He was assaulted and taken to a hospital in critical condition on Feb. 9. He died there on Saturday. His name has not been released because relatives have not been notified.

The man's 54-year-old cellmate, David Pina, is suspected in the assault. He was serving a six-year sentence for assault and a four-year sentence for terrorist threats.

He has not been charged in the prison assault.

Copyright 2015 The Associated Press.

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