Family sues over viral video showing California inmate getting stabbed 180 times behind bars
Parents of Joseph Mendoza. Obtained by the CA POST
The family of a Merced inmate who was stabbed to death nearly 180 times inside a state prison is suing the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, alleging “deliberate indifference” after video of the killing spread widely on social media.
Joseph Mendoza, 36, was killed April 8 at Salinas Valley State Prison in Soledad, California. Two fellow inmates were captured on video repeatedly stabbing Mendoza in the back with a makeshift weapon.
According to court filings by attorneys representing Mendoza’s family, the video was later leaked online and viewed thousands of times. The lawsuit, filed in December in the Northern District of California, claims prison officers “stood by and observed” as Mendoza was attacked and left to die.
In a news release issued after the killing, the Department of Corrections said inmates Edgar Frayre and Nicolas Young attacked Mendoza with improvised weapons around dinner time.
Video of the incident provided by the family’s attorneys shows the two inmates rushing Mendoza together before the stabbing begins.
The Department of Corrections said staff responded immediately, issuing “several verbal commands to stop, which were ignored.” Officials said staff then used multiple less-than-lethal force options to end the attack and placed Frayre and Young in handcuffs.
However, Mendoza’s attorneys allege in the lawsuit that staff failed to intervene quickly and did not provide “timely or adequate medical care, including basic life-saving measures.”
Corrections officials said Mendoza was serving a 22-year sentence for robbery and attempted murder at the time of his death. While incarcerated, he received an additional four years for possession and manufacture of a deadly weapon by a prisoner and for battery on a non-prisoner.
Frayre, 30, was serving 50 years for voluntary manslaughter and participation in a criminal street gang act, officials said. Young, 32, was serving 25 years for attempted murder and had received an additional 11 years while incarcerated for an in-prison attempted murder.
Following the incident, Frayre and Young were placed in restricted housing pending an investigation by the prison’s Investigative Services Unit and the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office for possible felony charges, officials said. Attorneys for Frayre and Young were not immediately available for comment. Corrections officials said they could not provide an update on the investigation.
At a news conference Wednesday, Mendoza’s attorneys accused prison staff of leaking the video and called for disciplinary action against officers they say failed to act.
“All of the officers involved should be summarily fired,” attorney Bryan Harrison said.
In a Jan. 29 court response, California Attorney General Rob Bonta acknowledged that Mendoza “was killed as a result of being repeatedly stabbed with makeshift knives” by Frayre and Young, but denied any wrongdoing by the prison or its staff.
Both sides have requested a jury trial.
About Post Author
