Kern Valley State Prison in Delano, California, faced a violent outburst on Friday that resulted in the death of death row inmate Julian Mendez. The incident began when convicted murderer Mario Renteria, 36, allegedly started beating Mendez, 46, at about 10:30 am. The attack quickly escalated, prompting prison staff to respond with chemical agents, but the situation remained out of control as more than 30 inmates rushed Renteria and began striking him.
Despite orders for the inmates to stop, the violence continued, leading prison officials to deploy multiple blast grenades to quell the situation. Mendez suffered multiple wounds and was taken to the prison’s triage area, where a doctor pronounced him dead at 11:05 am. The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) has launched an investigation into the incident, citing the involvement of multiple inmates and the use of force by prison staff.
Officials have restricted population movement at the prison to facilitate the ongoing investigation by the prison’s Investigative Services Unit and the Kern County District Attorney’s Office. Additionally, the Office of the Inspector General was notified, and the Kern County Coroner will determine Mendez’s official cause of death. Mendez, who had a violent criminal past, was transferred from Riverside County on December 2, 2004, and received a condemned sentence in 2002 for the first-degree murder of two teenagers.
Renteria, who was received from Riverside County on April 27, 2022, was sentenced to life with the possibility of parole for first-degree murder (a third-strike offense) and arson. The incident has raised questions about the safety and management of violent inmates within the prison system, as well as the effectiveness of current security measures in preventing such outbursts. The CDCR has not released further details about the suspected weapon found at the scene, though it noted that the type of weapon was unclear.
As the investigation continues, officials have emphasized the need to balance security with the rights of inmates, particularly in a facility that houses over 3,100 minimum- and high-security-custody individuals. The incident at Kern Valley State Prison underscores the ongoing challenges faced by correctional facilities in maintaining order and ensuring the safety of both inmates and staff, highlighting the need for continuous monitoring and improvement of prison security protocols.