Herrera bled to death over an eight-hour period, including time during the Super Bowl game that guards were watching on television not far from his cell.Early in the evening of Feb.1, Herrera refused to leave the shower but relented and was placed in his cell. He began to howl sometime between 9 and 10 p.m. and kicking at his cell door, but concerned staff members were told by superior officers not to bother checking on him.A dialysis patient, Herrera bled to death from the shunt in his chest; the cap to the shunt was found on his bed. It is still unknown if his death was a suicide or an accident; when found the next morning, almost all the blood had drained from Herrera’s body.Herrera had been returned to prison for 25 years to life under the three-strikes law after his Carpinteria arrest about three years for a minor shoplifting charge; he already had 19 serious felonies under his belt. Herrera’s violent criminal history included a notorious 1971 home-invasion robbery and rape of a woman and her 15-year-old daughter in Ventura’s Pierpont area where Herrera and accomplices kept the vacationing family members hostage.The Herrera-Corcoran case is the latest example of accusations that guards union – one of the most powerful in the state – has blocked administrative and criminal investigations at state prisons over the last decade.
Herrera: Death of infamous criminal in Corcoran State Prison investigated
April 21, 2004
Santa Paula News
A far reaching investigation into prison conditions has been launched with the demise of Ronald Herrera, a career criminal who bled to death while Corcoran State Prison guards watched the Super Bowl, a pivotal part of the state probe.
By Peggy KellySanta Paula TimesA far reaching investigation into prison conditions has been launched with the demise of Ronald Herrera, a career criminal who bled to death while Corcoran State Prison guards watched the Super Bowl, a pivotal part of the state probe.A Santa Paula native and former resident, Herrera, 58, died in his cell on Feb. 2.A grand jury may be hearing testimony on Herrera’s death, which brought accusations that the guards neglected to respond to his shouts because they were distracted by the Super Bowl game. Prison officials have denied the charges.In recent weeks several prison officers were served with grand jury summonses asking them to testify in the case. Although the Kings County District Attorney’s Office confirmed an investigation was underway, they would not say whether or not it was related to Herrera’s death.Guards had initially agreed to cooperate but decided to keep quiet after meeting with union representatives and attorneys.Herrera gained notoriety for not only his violent multi-state crime spree but for also being the first person returned to prison under the state’s sexual predator law.
