A man convicted of molesting a child was beaten to death last Saturday, only days after arriving at a California prison.

The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation reported that 66-year-old Agustin Duran, who was convicted of molesting a child in June and sentenced to a 55-year prison sentence, was killed during an altercation with another inmate, Tribune Media reported.

Duran was transferred to the Wasco State Prison, northwest of Bakersfield, on July 2. But only five days later, on July 7, Duran became involved in a fight with a 19-year-old inmate named Andres Ayon.

Prison officials did not get to the prisoners before Duran suffered grievous blows to the face and upper torso.

Guards had to use pepper spray to separate the two, and Duran was airlifted to a hospital, where he died the next day.

The incident is being investigated as a homicide. The attacker, who was in prison serving a six-year sentence for robbery, will be charged in the death of his fellow inmate.

Duran, who had been convicted of lewd and lascivious acts with a child under 14 years old, was awaiting an assignment to a permanent prison.

The Wasco facility, opened in 1991, provides short-term housing for inmates being evaluated for permanent imprisonment. It houses approximately 4,900 inmates and employs up to 1,500 people.

Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston.