Slain prison inmate killed Mill Valley good Samaritan in 1983

The inmate killed in his cell at a Sacramento-area prison this week was identified by officials Thursday as 53-year-old Darryl Staples, who was serving a life sentence for beating a Mill Valley man to death with a fire extinguisher in 1983 after the victim let him stay at his home.

Around 8:20 p.m. on Monday, officers found Staples unresponsive in his cell at the California State Prison-Sacramento facility in Represa, just north of Folsom (Sacramento County), said Lt. Tony Quinn, a spokesman for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

The other man was released, but Staples was charged and eventually pleaded guilty to first-degree murder to avoid a possible death sentence.

California State Prison-Sacramento houses roughly 2,300 general population inmates and caters to prisoners serving long sentences who have been troublesome at other institutions or who require specialized mental health care, according to the Department of Corrections.