SAN QUENTIN —Condemned inmate Spencer Brasure, 49, was found unresponsive in his San Quentin State Prison cell on November 14, 2019, at 12:49 a.m. and was pronounced dead at 1:17 a.m. He had been on California’s death row since August 28, 1998. His cause of death is pending the results of an autopsy.
A Ventura County jury sentenced Brasure to death on August 24, 1998 for first-degree murder. According to the court, Brasure kidnapped and tortured 20-year-old Anthony Guest, a former child actor, before setting Guest on fire and killing him.
Since 1978, when California reinstated capital punishment, 82 condemned inmates have died from natural causes, 27 have committed suicide, 13 have been executed in California, one was executed in Missouri, one was executed in Virginia, 14 have died from other causes and three – including Brasure – are pending a cause of death. There are currently 731 offenders on California’s death row.
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| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 14, 2019 Contact: (916) 445-4950 |