Two inmates at Calipatria State Prison in Imperial County are under investigation for allegedly murdering a third inmate in the facility’s yard on Sunday, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said.
The incident occurred in A Yard around 9:35 a.m., involving 48-year-old Mario Ramos, 30-year-old Deandre Powell, and 38-year-old Phillip Dimacali. Prison investigators said Powell and Dimacali attacked Ramos together using a weapon.
“Staff immediately intervened and requested medical assistance,” the CDCR release stated. “Medical personnel initiated life-saving measures; however, Ramos succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced deceased at approximately 10:06 a.m.”
Officials did not specify the type of weapon used or whether it was inmate-made or smuggled.
Powell and Dimacali were placed in restricted housing, and the prison’s Investigative Services Unit took over the case for possible referral to the Imperial County District Attorney’s Office for felony prosecution.
Dimacali, 38, is serving life without the possibility of parole for two counts of first-degree murder. Powell, 30, was serving a 12-year sentence for multiple felonies, including first-degree robbery and assault with a firearm.
Ramos had been transferred from a Los Angeles County facility to Calipatria in April 2001, where he was serving time for six counts of second-degree robbery and two counts of second-degree attempted robbery. His earliest possible release date was March 13, 2065.
Powell was transferred to Calipatria in January 2023 and had an earliest release date of February 2029. Dimacali arrived in March 2025.
Calipatria State Prison, which opened in 1992, employs around 1,000 staff and houses minimum, medium, and maximum-security inmates.
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