A Santa Barbara man has been booked on suspicion of murder after authorities ruled blunt force trauma from an assault days earlier contributed to a fellow inmate’s death.

The Santa Barbara County Coroner’s Bureau classified the Sept. 15 death of James Edward Murphy, 68, as a homicide after conducting an autopsy Thursday, according to Raquel Zick, sheriff’s public information officer. 

Following the autopsy, another incarcerated man, Peter James Anderson, 46, of Santa Barbara, was booked on felony charges of murder and elder abuse in connection with Murphy’s death. 

Authorities say the original assault occurred in a jail day room at approximately 6:30 a.m. Sept. 6.

Murphy did not initially report his injuries, Zick said, adding that custody deputies learned of a possible assault after Anderson reported an injury to his hand. 

Deputies questioned how that injury occurred, investigated, and found Murphy had injuries, Zick added.

Murphy was taken to an area hospital, where he was admitted for two days.

After being discharged, Murphy returned to custody at the Main Jail on Sept 8. 

A court had ordered his release to a placement in a different facility, but that arrangement was still pending. Oftentimes, a placement leads to treatment not available in the jail.

On Sept. 10,, Murphy was transferred to the Northern Branch Jail.

At approximately 12:14 p.m. Sept. 15, a custody deputy conducting a routine check found Murphy unresponsive in his cell. 

Lifesaving measures by jail staff and emergency responders were not successful, so Murphy was pronounced deceased at approximately 12:59 p.m.

When initially announcing Murphy’s death, the Sheriff’s Office remained mum about the prior assault involving the inmate.

“Information about the assault was not included in that notice because the investigation was ongoing. The subsequent death investigation and autopsy findings led to the homicide classification,” Zick said Friday.

Anderson originally was arrested in August on felony domestic violence charges, and was being held without bail. 

With autopsy findings in hand, authorities booked Anderson for murder and said Friday that he continued to be held without bail at the Main Jail.

The criminal investigation and the Sheriff’s Office’s separate administrative review remain ongoing.