The death Thursday of a man awaiting trial for the killings of four homeless men and two others means the relatives of victims will not have the chance to see him held accountable, a spokeswoman for the Orange County district attorney said.

Itzcoatl “Izzy” Ocampo died after being found sick in his jail cell, authorities said. Ocampo, 25, was charged last year in a “serial thrill-kill” rampage in Orange County that left six people dead, including four homeless men and a woman and her son.

Orange County prosecutors were seeking the death penalty against Ocampo, who was scheduled to appear in court for a pretrial hearing in January.

“It really deprives the victims and the people of California of the ability to put Mr. Ocampo to death on our terms and get justice for the victims of these crimes,” said district attorney’s spokeswoman Susan Kang Schroeder.


The Orange County district attorney’s office is investigating Ocampo’s death. An official cause of death is not likely for several weeks, a sheriff’s spokesman said.

Schroeder called the news of Ocampo’s death a “mixed bag” and said it showed “that he understood he was guilty of the crimes he was charged with.” She would not elaborate, saying she would “leave it at that.”

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hailey.branson@latimes.com

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