Inmate killed for solo cell, officials sayCoalinga prisoner allegedly slays cellmate in death-row bid.
By Tim Eberly / The Fresno Bee
(Updated Wednesday, August 10, 2005, 5:54 AM)
An inmate at a Coalinga prison will be charged with murder after he strangled his cellmate because he believed the slaying would earn him his own cell — on death row, authorities said.
Robert Glenn, 33, is accused of strangling his 41-year-old cellmate late Thursday or early Friday at Pleasant Valley State Prison, Fresno County sheriff's Sgt. Bob Moore said.
The victim, who was serving time for a second-degree robbery conviction, was found by prison guards during a random check at 11:40 a.m. Friday.
His name is being withheld because coroner's officials have not been able to reach his family members to notify them of his death.
Both men were sent to the prison after convictions in Los Angeles County.
Jose Salinas, a homicide detective for about six years with the Sheriff's Department, described the death as one of his more bizarre cases.
"I've never investigated one like this, I can tell you that," Salinas said.
"It's a strange one. I've never had a case where someone has taken someone's life just to get moved."
The victim was killed within 12 hours of his body being discovered on his bed.
He may have been strangled with a shoe lace, Salinas said.
After killing his cellmate, Glenn did not notify guards, Salinas said.
He went to breakfast and returned to his cell.
No one noticed his cellmate wasn't at breakfast because inmates are not required to leave their cells for the meal.
Hours later, when guards came to the cell, Glenn was calmly standing by the door, waiting for corrections officers, Salinas said.
When sheriff's detectives arrived later, they interviewed about 200 inmates, Salinas said.
Glenn's motive in the death stemmed from his desire to be on death row, Moore said. Inmates sentenced to death are housed alone in a cell.
"He didn't want to be in general population," Salinas said. "He wanted to have his own cell. He wanted to be by himself."
Inmates told detectives Glenn had requested to be moved somewhere.
He and the victim did not have any reported prior confrontations, Salinas said.
They had been staying in the two-person cell for a month and a half.
This was not Glenn's first killing while behind bars, according to authorities.
He was serving a 22-year prison term for a voluntary manslaughter conviction after he killed an inmate at the Los Angeles County Jail. Glenn began serving that sentence in November 2000.
Details about that slaying were not available Tuesday.
It's too early to tell whether Glenn will get his wish — his own cell at San Quentin State Prison, where all men sentenced to death in California are housed.
Glenn has not officially been charged with murder, but an arrest warrant is pending.
When Glenn is served, prosecutors will decide whether to seek the death penalty.
"That's a decision the [district attorney's] office makes on the merit of the case," Moore said.
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