Inmate Awaiting Trial Dies in Banning Jail Cell; Authorities Cite No Foul Play

A 46-year-old inmate awaiting trial on arson and related charges was found dead in his jail cell early Monday at a Riverside County detention facility in Banning, authorities said.

Quadir Rafi Boykin of Menifee was discovered unconscious shortly before 1 a.m. inside his cell at the Smith Correctional Facility, according to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.

Correctional deputies alerted on-site medical staff, who began life-saving measures before county fire paramedics arrived and took over care. Despite those efforts, Boykin was pronounced dead at the scene, the department said.

The Sheriff’s Department’s Corrections Central Investigations Bureau and the Coroner’s Office have launched an investigation into the death.

“There were no signs of foul play at the scene,” the department said in a statement, adding that Boykin’s family has been notified. No additional details regarding the cause or circumstances of the death were released.

Court records show Boykin was arrested in June by Riverside Police Department detectives following an arson investigation. He was charged with arson of property, along with a sentence-enhancing allegation that the offense involved the use of an incendiary device during a state of emergency. Further details of the case were not disclosed.

Boykin was a prior-strike felon who had previously served time in state prison, according to court documents.

The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department has faced state and federal lawsuits alleging civil rights violations, data transparency failures, and issues related to in-custody deaths. Sheriff Chad Bianco has defended jail operations, frequently citing the smuggling of illicit drugs — particularly fentanyl — into detention facilities as a leading cause of inmate deaths across the county.

The Coroner’s Office is expected to determine Boykin’s official cause of death.