Inmate To Plead Guilty In Federal Prison Guard's Killing

LOS ANGELES (AP) — An inmate at a federal prison in central California has agreed to plead guilty to murder in the 2008 killing of a correctional officer to avoid a possible death sentence.

Federal prosecutors in Sacramento say 47-year-old Jose Cabrera Sablan agreed on Friday to plead guilty to murder in a negotiated agreement that will put him in prison for the rest of his life.

News of the deal was first reported by KFSN-TV.

Sablan was serving a life sentence for murder at the U.S. penitentiary in Atwater when he was accused of fatally stabbing correctional Officer Jose Rivera.

The 22-year-old Rivera was conducting a headcount when he was attacked. Officers are not armed with guns in federal prisons.

Sablan is expected to enter his plea in Los Angeles next month.

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