California’s Department of Correctional and Rehabilitation (CDCR) is currently facing scrutiny following a fatal incident involving a death row inmate at Kern Valley State Prison in Delano on Friday.
Mario Renteria, a convicted murderer aged 36, allegedly attacked another inmate, Julian Mendes, 46, around 10:30 a.m. on that day.
As stated in a CDCR news release, officers instructed the inmates to separate, but Mendes reportedly refused to comply.
This intervention briefly halted the assault, yet more than 30 additional inmates surged forward to join in the attack against Renteria.
The CDCR indicated that the command to stop was disregarded, prompting staff to deploy multiple bean bag rounds to end the outbreak of violence.
Mendes sustained numerous injuries, and life-saving attempts were initiated shortly after the attack.
He was transported to the prison’s medical facility, where doctors confirmed his death at 11:05 a.m.
Improvised weapons were discovered at the site, though their specific nature remains unclear.
Currently, Renteria is in a restricted unit while investigations are ongoing.
In light of the incident, prison movements have been limited to support inquiries by both the prison’s Investigation Services Unit and the Kern County District Attorney’s Office.
The coroner’s office will officially determine Mendes’ cause of death following notification from the inspector’s office.
Mendes had been received from Riverside County on December 2, 2004, having been sentenced in 2002 for the first-degree murder of two teenagers.
Renteria had also been received from Riverside County on April 27, 2022. He was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole for first-degree murder (as a third strike offense) and arson.
Kern Valley State Prison, which opened in 2005, houses over 3,100 inmates, including those classified as minimum to high security.
