TENNESSEE COLONY, Texas — Two inmates in two different Anderson County prison facilities died earlier this month after they were both found unresponsive in their cells, according to recent state reports.
Ricardo Jose Prado Jr., 41, died on April 1 after he was found unresponsive in his assigned cell in the Beto Unit. He was escorted to the infirmary, where he was pronounced dead, the report states.
The report lists his cause of death as cardiac arrest. According to the information, he had been in prison since 2013 for a capital murder conviction.
Our sister station KHOU reported in 2012 that Ricardo Prado ambushed his estranged wife Rachel Prado, 28, and her 19-year-old niece, Jasmine Rhodes, and shot them several times in Harris County.
They were shot after returning to Rachel Prado's mother's home. Prado, who had a history of domestic violence, was then charged with capital murder, KHOU said.
In the Michael Unit, Julio Cesar Ruiz, 37, was discovered unresponsive April 12 inside of his cell by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice security staff.
More staff members were called to the scene, they began life-saving measures and Ruiz was taken to the unit infirmary, the report states. Ruiz was pronounced dead by medical staff.
Ruiz had been in prison since 2011 on aggravated assault and sexual assault of a child convictions. The medical cause of his death is unknown at this time.