Inmate who killed, sodomized mother dies on death row

(04-03) 17:14 PDT SAN RAFAEL -- A 53-year-old death row inmate died of natural causes Tuesday morning at San Quentin State Prison, according to prison authorities.

Frank Manuel Abilez, who was sentenced to death for the 1996 murder and sodomy of his 68-year-old mother in Los Angeles County, was found unresponsive in his cell Tuesday morning, said Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Lt. Sam Robinson.

Abilez lived in the cell alone, Robinson said, and was pronounced dead of natural causes at 10:49 a.m.

Abilez is the 57th death row inmate to die of natural causes since capital punishment was reinstated in California in 1978. Thirteen people have been executed, another 19 have committed suicide and six have died from other causes. There are currently 724 people on death row in the state.

No executions have been held in California since 2006 when a federal judge halted them, saying there were flaws in the state's procedure. The issue is still winding its way through the court system.