Staff at California State Prison, Sacramento discovered 49-year-old inmate Dennis L. Romero unresponsive in his cell at 2:51 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 5, 2026, and despite life-saving measures, he was pronounced dead roughly 36 minutes later. Officials are now investigating his death as a homicide, and his cellmate has been moved into restricted housing while multiple agencies look into what happened.
According to Folsom Times, Romero was found unresponsive inside his cell at the prison. The outlet reports he was pronounced dead at 3:27 p.m., a timeline that matches reporting from FOX40, which also confirmed that life-saving measures were attempted before Romero died. Separately, CBS Sacramento described the prison as sitting on the south side of Folsom Lake and also known as New Folsom, and reported that the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said Romero, listed in that report as 40 years old, was declared dead by paramedics in the prison's triage area, differing from the age of 49 reported by Folsom Times and FOX40.
Cellmate Moved to Restricted Housing
Romero's 23-year-old cellmate, Jacob D. Forbes, was placed in restricted housing pending an investigation, the Folsom Times report notes, with both the prison's Investigative Services Unit and the Sacramento County District Attorney's Office involved. The Office of the Inspector General has also been notified about the case.
Per the same report, Forbes entered the state prison system in April 2024 and is serving a three-year, four-month sentence for second-degree robbery, second-degree burglary and attempted second-degree robbery. Romero, meanwhile, had been incarcerated since 1996, serving a life sentence with the possibility of parole for second-degree murder. He also received additional sentences while behind bars for possessing or manufacturing a weapon and for two separate assaults on correctional officers involving gassing.
Pattern of Homicide Investigations at the Prison
This is not the first time a death inside California State Prison, Sacramento has been classified this way. The Sacramento Bee reported on a separate death at the facility involving inmate John Cisneros that was also investigated as a homicide. In another incident at the prison, FOX40 reported that staff saw inmates Justin Castro and Luis Mendoza attack fellow inmate Carlos Montenegro at about 6:43 p.m.; Montenegro, 39, had served a little over two years of a six-year sentence before he died.
The state corrections department has also previously announced homicide investigations tied to the same prison. The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said it was investigating the July 2025 death of an incarcerated person at the facility as a homicide following the Sacramento County Coroner's determination of cause of death. The evidence reviewed does not establish a broader trend or rate of such investigations at the prison, only that this is not an isolated occurrence.
No further details on Romero's death have been released as the investigation continues. Officials have not said when the review by the Investigative Services Unit and the Sacramento County District Attorney's Office is expected to conclude.
