The CDCR says Spencer Brasure, 49, was found unresponsive in his cell around 12:49 a.m. and was pronounced dead a short time later.
CDCR officials say Brasure had been on death row since 1998 after he was convicted by a Ventura County jury of first-degree murder. According to court documents, Brasure kidnapped and tortured 20-year-old Anthony Guest, a former child actor, before setting Guest on fire and killing him.
The CDCR says the cause of Brasure's death is pending the results of an autopsy.