DUBLIN — A man has been sentenced to six years in prison for killing his cellmate at Santa Rita Jail during a fight that a neighboring inmate later told police was very loud and lasted 30 minutes, yet went unchecked by guards, court records show.
Emil Cochran, 33, was alone in a cell with 28-year-old Devin Darnell West on Nov. 15, 2021, when the two allegedly fought to the death. West had been beaten but died of strangulation. The two had only been cellmates for roughly 24 hours before the fatal altercation, according to court records.
There was no doubt who the culprit was, but Cochran claimed he was “diffusing a threat” and said West had gone after him, according to testimony at Cochran’s 2024 preliminary hearing. Deputies also testified that the two were housed in a part of the jail for inmates with mental illness, and that West was known to be “aggressive,” a transcript of the hearing says. At the hearing, deputies also couldn’t answer basic questions, such as when the most recent cell check was done before the homicide. The checks are supposed to take place every 30 minutes.
But Cochran was also heard taunting West as deputies arrested him for the homicide, and the neighboring inmate admitted he never pushed his “panic” button to alert deputies of the “hooting and hollering” next door.
Last October, Cochran pleaded no contest in exchange for the six-year prison term, which gives him more than three years credit for time already spent behind bars. He was formally sentenced in December, and transferred to North Kern State Prison on Jan. 25, where he remains, records show.
At the time of the homicide, Cochran was in jail for an alleged parole violation and West was serving a brief sentence for auto burglary. When deputies discovered the incident, Cochran was still on top of West, according to police testimony.
The Alameda County Sheriff’s Office signed a federal consent decree the year after West was killed, agreeing to expand mental health services at the county’s only adult jail.
The agreement was controversial, with many advocates who support some type of reform either arguing the decree didn’t go far enough or was fundamentally flawed. Sheriff’s officials have said they have made “excellent strides” toward increasing safety at the jail over the past three years — touting more staff training and a new jobs program for incarcerated people — and recently opened the facility’s doors for a day of media tours.
