A notorious Southern California killer who was condemned to death for his role in a 2002 murder-for-hire plot that claimed the life of a 44-year-old Orange County man has died in prison at age 50, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation announced.

Armando Macias, a Lancaster resident, was just 35 when he agreed to help kidnap and kill David Montemayor, according to a news release from the Orange County District Attorney’s Office.

Montemayor, a Buena Park resident who was expected to take over his family’s business in Rancho Dominguez, was targeted by his sister, Deborah Perna, who was upset that their father planned to give her brother control of the company where she worked as an office manager.

Believing her brother was also stealing from the family business, Perna asked a coworker, Edelmira Corona, if her friend would kill him.

“Corona and Perna solicited the help of gang member Anthony Navarro, 44, Canyon County, who recruited three members of a San Fernando Valley gang to kidnap and murder Montemayor in the murder-for-hire plot,” prosecutors said.

On Oct. 2, 2002, Macias and two other gang members, Gerardo Lopez and Alberto Martinez, kidnapped Montemayor at the family-run business and drove the married father of three toward his Buena Park home, where they believed he kept thousands of dollars in cash.

Despite having only one arm, Montemayor was able to escape the vehicle about one mile from his home.

“As the victim ran for his life, Macias fired his weapon at the fleeing victim, executing him by shooting him in the head,” investigators said. “Lopez also fired at the victim.”

With Martinez behind the wheel, the trio became involved in a televised police pursuit that ended with their arrest.

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On April 2, Macias, who was sentenced to death in 2011, was found unresponsive in his cell at California State Prison, Sacramento, around 7 a.m., CDCR officials said. Prison staff initiated life-saving measures and requested an ambulance, but the 50-year-old was pronounced dead by paramedics at 8 a.m.

No information was released about a possible cause of death, and officials did not say whether Macias showed any obvious signs of injury.

“SAC’s Investigative Services Unit is investigating the incident,” a CDCR news release stated. “The Sacramento County Coroner will determine his official cause of death.”

Martinez and Navarro also received death sentences for their involvement in the plot, while Perna and Lopez were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Corona pleaded guilty to manslaughter and faced a maximum sentence of 22 years in prison.

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