Officials at the California State Prison in Sacramento are investigating the death of an inmate as a homicide

SACRAMENTO – Officials at the California State Prison, Sacramento (SAC) are investigating the August 23, 2024, death of Darryl W. Hudson as a homicide after he was injured in a physical altercation the previous day.

On August 22, at approximately 2:55 p.m., Hudson and five other inmates—Darryn W. Mayberry, Robert M. Keller, Tray Watson, Marcell L. Battiest, and Otis Wyatt—began a fight in a lounge, during which Mayberry allegedly struck Hudson several times, causing him to lose consciousness.

Staff quickly interrupted the incident with verbal instructions and immediately called emergency services. Hudson was transported by ambulance to an outside medical facility. He succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead at 6:11 p.m. on August 23. No staff or other detainees were injured.

Officers have restricted movement in the yard where the fight occurred. Mayberry, Keller, Watson, Battiest and Wyatt have been placed in a locked shelter pending the completion of the investigation by the SAC Investigations Division and the Sacramento County District Attorney's Office. The Office of the Inspector General has been notified and the Sacramento County Coroner will determine Hudson's official cause of death.

Hudson, 40, was picked up from Contra Costa County on December 24, 2009, and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for first-degree murder and robbery, with aggravated charges for use of a firearm and assault with a firearm. On May 13, 2021, he was sentenced by Kern County to seven years in prison for assault on a non-inmate as a second offender, with aggravated charges for aggravated assault.

Mayberry, 30, was last admitted from Fresno County on September 11, 2018. He was sentenced to ten years in prison for second-degree robbery as a second offender, with enhanced terms based on previous convictions.

Keller, 38, was picked up from Los Angeles County on June 21, 2007, and sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole for premeditated murder and attempted premeditated murder, with aggravated charges for intentionally discharging a firearm with great bodily injury or death. He was sentenced by Kings County for felony charges including 12 years for conspiracy to sell a controlled substance to an incarcerated person (a second-degree misdemeanor) on Nov. 6, 2012; one year and four months for assault on an incarcerated person with a deadly weapon or force likely to cause great bodily injury (on Oct. 12, 2016); and two years for possession of a controlled substance and two years for assault on a non-incarcerated person (a second-degree misdemeanor) on June 2, 2022.

Watson, 58, was most recently sentenced on June 18, 2004, out of Kern County to an 18-year prison term for assault with a firearm, with aggravated charges for use of a firearm and aggravated assault. He was convicted out of Monterey County of two prison offenses of possession or manufacture of a deadly weapon by an inmate. These offenses are second offenses. He was sentenced to six years on October 6, 2010, and to two years on March 23, 2016.

Battiest, 29, was last committed from Sonoma County on February 16, 2024, and sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole for attempted second-degree intentional murder and robbery, with aggravated charges for intentionally discharging a firearm with great bodily harm or death, using a firearm and causing great bodily harm or death, and possessing or owning a firearm as a felon or addict.

Wyatt, 27, was committed from Alameda County on January 12, 2024, and sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole for second-degree murder, with a prohibition on the use of a firearm. He was also sentenced to 21 years in prison for manslaughter with the additional penalty of use of a firearm, which he must serve concurrently with the above sentence.

Opened in 1986, CSP-SAC is a maximum security prison in Folsom that houses approximately 1,990 inmates and employs approximately 1,700 people. The facility houses individuals serving long sentences, individuals requiring specialized mental health programs, and inmates with high-risk health issues. The facility also offers work, vocational training, academic, self-help, arts, religious, and other rehabilitation programs.

Darryl W. Hudson (deceased)