BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — Two inmates allegedly attacked and killed another inmate Wednesday afternoon at Kern Valley State Prison in Delano, officials confirmed.
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) reported the attack occurred around 1:41 p.m., leaving Timothy Whelan, 56, dead. Whelan was serving time for second-degree murder.
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CDCR identified the suspects as William A. Nesler III, 43, and Edward R. Holden III, 35. Both allegedly used improvised weapons in the attack.
Prison staff intervened using chemical agents to stop the assault. Whelan received treatment at a triage area inside the prison but was pronounced dead about 30 minutes later. No staff or other inmates were injured. Officials found two improvised weapons at the scene.
Kern Valley State Prison authorities are investigating the incident alongside the Kern County District Attorney’s Office. The Kern County Coroner’s Office will officially determine Whelan’s cause of death.
Whelan was serving a life sentence with the possibility of parole, sentenced in 2005 in Los Angeles County for an illegal firearms conviction.
Nesler has been serving a life sentence with the possibility of parole for first-degree murder since 2005, sentenced in Tuolumne County.
Holden is also serving a life sentence with the possibility of parole from Solano County.
Kern Valley State Prison, located in Delano about 37 miles north of Bakersfield, houses over 3,100 inmates.
