California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation officials are investigating the death of an incarcerated person at Substance Abuse Treatment Facility in Corcoran as a homicide. On March 20, 2026, at approximately 8 a.m., staff found Earl D. Williams, 72, unresponsive in his cell. Staff immediately initiated life-saving measures and activated 911. Williams was transported to an outside medical facility for treatment and was pronounced deceased on March 23 at 7:05 a.m.
Investigation and Custody Details
Ignacio Guzman, 28, was placed in restricted housing pending an investigation by the SATF Investigative Services Unit and the Kings County District Attorney’s Office. The Office of the Inspector General has been notified of the incident. Williams was most recently received from Los Angeles County on January 11, 2016, and was sentenced to life with the possibility of parole. Guzman was most recently received from Kings County on January 17, 2024, and was sentenced to five years, four months for battery on a non-incarcerated person and battery on a peace officer as a second striker.
Facility Information
SATF houses minimum, medium, high, and maximum-security male incarcerated persons. The institution opened in 1997 and currently houses approximately 5,300 incarcerated people while employing approximately 2,000 staff.
This article is an AI-assisted summary. All facts and figures are drawn from the original report: https://www.cdcr.ca.gov/news/2026/03/23/satf-homicide-earl-williams-ignacio-guzman/