22-05-2025
2 inmates accused in killing of convicted murderer at Kern Valley State Prison
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — California prison officials said two inmates attacked and killed another inmate Wednesday afternoon at Kern Valley State Prison in Delano.
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said late Wednesday, the attack happened at around 1:41 p.m. and left Timothy Whelan, 56, an inmate serving a sentence for second-degree murder, dead.
CDCR officials said two inmates — identified as William A. Nesler III, 43, and Edward R. Holden III, 35 — allegedly attacked Whelan with 'improvised weapons.'
Prison staff used chemical agents to stop the attack, officials said in a release. Whelan was treated in a triage area at the prison but was pronounced dead about a half hour after the attack. No KVSP staff or other inmates were injured during the incident. Two improvised weapons were found at the scene, according to officials.
Kern Valley State Prison officials are investigating the incident with the Kern County District Attorney's Office. The Kern County Coroner's Office will determine an official cause of death for Whelan.
Whelan was serving a sentence of life with the possibility of parole. He was sentenced in Los Angeles County in 2005 for an illegal firearms conviction.
Nesler is serving a life sentence of life with a possibility of parole for first-degree murder since 2005 out of Tuolumne County.
Holden is also serving a life sentence of life with a possibility for parole out of Solano County.
Kern Valley State Prison is located in Delano — about 37 miles — north of Bakersfield. The facility houses more than 3,100 inmates, officials said.
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