SAN QUENTIN — Condemned inmate Joseph A. Perez, Jr., 47, who was on California’s death row from Contra Costa County, was found unresponsive in his cell at San Quentin State Prison on Dec. 4 at 9:11 p.m. Emergency lifesaving measures were started immediately; however, Perez was pronounced dead at 9:21 p.m. An autopsy will be conducted to determine his cause of death
Perez was sentenced to death in Contra Costa County on Jan. 25, 2002, for the March 24, 1998, murder of Janet Daher, 46, who was strangled and stabbed in her Lafayette home during a home-invasion robbery. Perez had been on California’s death row since Jan. 25, 2002.
Since 1978, when California reinstated capital punishment, 79 condemned inmates have died from natural causes, 25 have committed suicide, 13 have been executed in California, one was executed in Missouri, one was executed in Virginia, 11 have died from other causes and four – including Perez – are pending a cause of death. There are currently 740 offenders on California’s death row.
| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
Wednesday, December 5, 2018
| CONTACT: Lt. Sam Robinson, (415) 455-5000 |
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