Kern Valley State Prison officials are investigating the death of an incarcerated person as a homicide

DELANO – Officials with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation are investigating the November 9, 2024 death of an incarcerated individual at Kern Valley State Prison (KVSP) as a homicide.

At 3:19 p.m., officers observed 58-year-old Gregory Clark in his cell with blood on his clothing. Staff immediately called for help and were able to remove Clark without incident. Clark's cellmate, 41-year-old Darius J. Swain, remained lifeless in the cell. Medical personnel arrived, began life-saving measures on Swain and alerted 911.

Swaim was transported to the treatment and triage area of the facility. At 3:48 p.m., paramedics arrived and pronounced Swain dead

Clark was placed in special housing pending an investigation by KVSP's Investigative Services Unit. The Inspector General's Office has been notified and the Kern County Coroner will determine Clark's cause of death.

Swain was received from Alameda County on March 18, 2019. He was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole for trafficking minors using force, fear, fraud, deception and violence – a second-strike offense; pimping; Indulgence; Second-degree robbery and possession of a firearm by a felon.

Clark was received from Los Angeles County on March 29, 2011. He was sentenced to 22 years in prison for assaulting a spouse/partner, a second offense; an improvement in the use of a deadly weapon; previous prison sentence; and prior conviction for a serious felony. On January 25, 2021, he was sentenced in a Kern County court to two additional years in prison for assault by a prisoner with a deadly weapon.

Darius Swain