Latest news with #KernValleyStatePrison
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Yahoo
Death row inmate killed in California prison as guards deploy blast grenades to control violent mob attack
California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) officials are investigating after a death row inmate was killed at Kern Valley State Prison in Delano on Friday. Convicted murderer Mario Renteria, 36, allegedly started beating fellow inmate, Julian Mendez, 46, at about 10:30 a.m. Friday, prompting prison staff to respond. Officers ordered them to get down, but the men failed to comply, according to a CDCR news release obtained by Fox News Digital. Chemical agents initially stopped the attack, but more than 30 additional inmates rushed Renteria and began striking him. Escaped California Inmate Who Killed Leader Of Elite Mexican Police Unit While On The Run Has Been Arrested Orders to stop were ignored, and staff used multiple blast grenades to quell the violence, according to CDCR. Read On The Fox News App Mendez suffered multiple wounds, and life-saving measures were immediately taken. He was taken to the prison's triage and treatment area, where a doctor pronounced him dead at 11:05 a.m. Arizona Prisoner Serving 16 Life Sentences Accused Of Killing Three Fellow Inmates Officials said an improvised weapon was found at the scene, though the type of weapon was unclear. Renteria remains in restricted housing pending investigation, according to CDCR. Officials limited population movement to facilitate the investigation by the prison's Investigative Services Unit and the Kern County District Attorney's Office. The Office of the Inspector General was notified, and the Kern County Coroner will determine Mendez's official cause of death. Da To Seek Death Penalty Against Illegal Immigrants Accused In Nungaray Murder Case Mendez was received from Riverside County on Dec. 2, 2004, according to CDCR. He received a condemned sentence in 2002 for the first-degree murder of two teenagers. CDCR said Renteria was received from Riverside County on April 27, 2022, and was sentenced to life with the possibility of parole for first-degree murder (a third-strike offense) and arson. Kern Valley State Prison opened in 2005 and houses over 3,100 minimum- and high-security-custody article source: Death row inmate killed in California prison as guards deploy blast grenades to control violent mob attack
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Yahoo
2 inmates accused in killing of convicted murderer at Kern Valley State Prison
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — California prison officials said two inmates attacked and killed another inmate Wednesday afternoon at Kern Valley State Prison in Delano. The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said late Wednesday, the attack happened at around 1:41 p.m. and left Timothy Whelan, 56, an inmate serving a sentence for second-degree murder, dead. CDCR officials said two inmates — identified as William A. Nesler III, 43, and Edward R. Holden III, 35 — allegedly attacked Whelan with 'improvised weapons.' Prison staff used chemical agents to stop the attack, officials said in a release. Whelan was treated in a triage area at the prison but was pronounced dead about a half hour after the attack. No KVSP staff or other inmates were injured during the incident. Two improvised weapons were found at the scene, according to officials. Kern Valley State Prison officials are investigating the incident with the Kern County District Attorney's Office. The Kern County Coroner's Office will determine an official cause of death for Whelan. Whelan was serving a sentence of life with the possibility of parole. He was sentenced in Los Angeles County in 2005 for an illegal firearms conviction. Nesler is serving a life sentence of life with a possibility of parole for first-degree murder since 2005 out of Tuolumne County. Holden is also serving a life sentence of life with a possibility for parole out of Solano County. Kern Valley State Prison is located in Delano — about 37 miles — north of Bakersfield. The facility houses more than 3,100 inmates, officials said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
