San Quentin inmate who killed off-duty California detective in 1985 dies

Detective Thomas C. Williams was fatally shot outside Faith Baptist Church School in the San Fernando Valley area of Canoga Park as he picked up his 6-year-old son from daycare.

A 68-year-old man convicted of murdering an off-duty Los Angeles Police Department detective in 1985 was found dead inside his cell Monday, April 29, while incarcerated at the San Quentin Rehabilitation Center, officials said.

The death is being investigated as a suicide after Daniel Jenkins, the inmate condemned to death, was found unresponsive in his individual cell and pronounced dead by emergency services around 7 a.m. His official cause of death is yet to be determined, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said in a statement.

In 1988, Jenkins was convicted of first-degree murder armed with a firearm and conspiracy to commit a crime for the killing of Detective Thomas C. Williams, who was fatally shot outside Faith Baptist Church School in Canoga Park in front of his 6-year-old son as he picked him up from daycare. Jenkins was also convicted of first-degree attempted murder for a separate case.

Jenkins, along with two other men, plotted to kill Williams after he testified against Jenkins in a robbery case. The two other conspirators were sentenced to life in prison without parole with an additional 25 years to life, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

Williams had been with the Los Angeles Police Department for 13 years and worked as a detective in the North Hollywood Division. He was awarded the Medal of Valor after his death for the actions he took to protect his son during the shooting, officials said.