fb-pixelSuspect in Calif. killings found dead - The Boston Globe Skip to main content

Suspect in Calif. killings found dead

SANTA ANA, Calif. — A former Marine who was awaiting trial in the killing of six people, including four homeless men, died after ingesting Ajax in his jail cell, his lawyer said Friday.

Itzcoatl Ocampo, 25, apparently accumulated the cleaning product over time while in custody, said his attorney, Michael Molfetta, who was briefed on the death.

The death raises serious questions about how well Orange County jail deputies were supervising Ocampo, who had mental health issues, Molfetta said.

Ocampo was found shaking and vomiting in his single-man cell Wednesday and taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead Thursday afternoon, said Orange County sheriff’s Lieutenant Jeff Hallock. An autopsy is scheduled.

Advertisement



Prosecutors alleged that Ocampo, a native of Mexico, stabbed four homeless men in what they called a serial thrill-kill rampage in late 2011 and early 2012. Ocampo, who was discharged from the Marines in 2010, also was facing murder charges in the deaths of a school friend’s mother and brother in October 2011.

Associated Press