DELANO – California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation officials are investigating the Sept. 19, 2024, death of an incarcerated person at Kern Valley State Prison (KVSP) as a homicide.
At 7:20 p.m., staff discovered incarcerated person Jacob Kober in his cell with his cellmate Matthew Perez, unresponsive with serious injuries. Staff immediately initiated emergency response and called 911.
Medical staff performed life-saving measures on Kober, who had injuries consistent with an incarcerated-manufactured weapon. He was transported to the prison’s triage and treatment area for a higher level of care. At 7:52 p.m. Kober was pronounced deceased by on-scene paramedics.
Perez also appeared to have suffered injuries consistent with an incarcerated-manufactured weapon. He was alert and taken to an outside medical facility for a higher level of care. No staff or additional incarcerated people were injured.
An incarcerated-manufactured weapon was found at the scene.
The incident is currently under investigation by KVSP Investigative Services Unit, and the Kern County District Attorney’s Office. The Office of the Inspector General was notified, and the Kern County Coroner will determine Kober’s official cause of death.
Kober, 35, was received from Alameda County on April 28, 2015, sentenced to life with the possibility of parole for first-degree murder, a second-strike offense, with an enhancement for intentional discharge of a firearm causing great bodily injury/death.
Perez, 39, was most recently received from Monterey County on May 7, 2012, sentenced to 18 years for assault with a firearm, a second-strike offense, with enhancements for street gang act in commission of a violent felony and use of a firearm. In 2014, while in prison he was sentenced to eight years for assault by a prisoner with a deadly weapon or force likely to cause great bodily injury. In 2016, he was sentenced to two years for possession of a controlled substance while in prison.
KVSP opened in 2005 and houses over 3,100 minimum-, medium-, and high-security custody incarcerated people. KVSP offers academic classes and vocational programs and employs approximately 1,500 people.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Sept. 24, 2024
Contact: CDCR Press Office: OPEC@cdcr.ca.gov