Richard Stitely, a condemned inmate at San Quentin State Prison that was found unresponsive in his cell last week and pronounced dead, was confirmed Monday to have tested positive for COVID-19 as an outbreak at the prison was spreading exponentially.
The Marin County Coroner’s Office said the positive test was conducted by the California Department of Public Health as part of a forensic examination of the 71-year-old Stitely, who had been on Death Row since 1992.
The coroner’s office said the cause, mode and manner of death were undetermined pending additional investigation and toxicology testing.