Family of Inmate Sues California Corrections After Stabbing Incident
The family of a Merced inmate, who was brutally killed in a state prison, is taking legal action against the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. They claim “deliberate indifference” on the part of the prison following the circulation of a disturbing video that captured the incident.
Joseph Mendoza, aged 36, was tragically murdered on April 8 at the Salinas Valley Confinement Facility in Soledad, California. Video footage shows two fellow inmates attacking him while he was punched multiple times in the back.
After the video was leaked online, it garnered significant attention, with thousands of views, according to the legal documents released by Mendoza’s attorney.
The lawsuit, filed in December in the Northern District of California, accuses prison staff of failing to intervene. According to the complaint, “the officers were just standing by and observing,” while Mendoza faced a horrific beating.
The California Department of Corrections stated that Mendoza’s murder involved inmates Edgar Frere and Nicholas Young attacking him with a makeshift weapon while he was eating dinner.
The incident was caught on video, which was provided by one of Mendoza’s attorneys. Following the attack, prison staff reacted, reportedly issuing verbal commands to halt the assault, although these commands were ignored. They eventually resorted to using non-lethal force to restrain Frere and Young.
Mendoza’s family claims in the lawsuit that prison personnel did not fulfill their responsibilities, particularly in regards to providing timely medical assistance, including basic life-saving measures to aid Mendoza.
At the time of his death, Mendoza was serving a combined 22-year sentence for robbery and attempted murder. He had also received an additional four years for possessing a weapon and for battery on a non-prisoner.
Frere, who is 30, was serving a 50-year sentence for voluntary manslaughter and gang activity. Young, age 32, faced a 25-year sentence for attempted murder and was later given an additional 11 years due to attempted murder within the prison.
In response to Mendoza’s murder, prison officials placed Frere and Young in restrictive housing as the Bureau of Prison Investigation and the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office conduct their investigations.
Lawyers representing Frere and Young were not available for comment, and there was no immediate update on the investigation concerning Mendoza’s death.
At a press conference on Wednesday, Mendoza’s family attorneys accused prison officials of leaking the video and demanded accountability for officers who failed to take action. One attorney, Brian Harrison, asserted that all involved officers should be dismissed from their positions immediately.
In a statement issued on January 29th, in response to the lawsuit, state Attorney General Rob Bonta acknowledged that Mendoza died due to being stabbed multiple times with a makeshift knife but denied any wrongdoing by the prison staff.
Both sides are now seeking a jury trial regarding the case.
