Prison Attack Leaves Inmate From RivCo Dead, Latest In Fatal String
SOLEDAD, CA — A prison inmate from Riverside County is dead, and his cellmate is suspected of killing him, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation announced Tuesday.
It’s the latest inmate slaying involving state prisoners sentenced out of Riverside County.
Colin Hebert, 36, was pronounced dead at 10:58 a.m. Monday after he was found unresponsive minutes before in his cell at Salinas Valley State Prison.
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His death is being blamed on his cellmate, 38-year-old Jessie Hernandez, who began serving a sentence of life with the possibility of parole in 2004 after he was found guilty in Los Angeles County of second-degree murder with an enhancement for use of a firearm and attempted second-degree murder with an enhancement for use of a firearm.
After Hebert was discovered lifeless by prison guards, a cell search turned up an inmate-manufactured weapon that Hernandez likely used in the killing, according to CDCR.
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Since 2013, Hebert was serving a sentence of life without the possibility of parole for attempted first-degree murder with an enhancement for intentional discharge of a firearm causing great bodily injury/death and assault with a firearm with enhancements inflicting great bodily injury and use of a firearm. Court records show Hebert was involved in a fight and shot a man during the melee.
Both Hebert and Hernandez got into trouble while incarcerated, adding to their lengthy prison sentences.
Hebert was handed an additional eight-year sentence while imprisoned in Lassen County on June 28, 2018, for assault with a deadly weapon as a second striker.
Hernandez received an added 12-year sentence from Monterey County on April 12, 2023, for assault by a prisoner with a deadly weapon/instrument as a second striker.
Following Hebert’s death, Hernandez was placed in restricted housing pending an investigation by prison officials and the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office. The Monterey County coroner will determine Hebert’s official cause of death.
Salinas Valley State Prison houses more than 2,500 minimum-, medium-, maximum- and high-security inmates, according to CDCR.
Hebert’s death is just the latest prison news involving inmates sentenced out of Riverside County.
Jorge D. Negrete-Larios, 33, is one of three inmates at Calipatria State Prison who allegedly attacked and killed Alberto Martinez, 46, on Sept. 26. Martinez was an alleged member of the Mexican Mafia. Read more: Mexican Mafia Member Killed In Prison, RivCo Inmate Named As A Suspect
CDCR officials are investigating the Aug. 19 death of inmate Michael R. Spengler, 38, at Salinas Valley State Prison as a homicide, and 31-year-old Miguel A. Espino from Riverside County was the only suspect. Espino was convicted in a November jury trial of attempted murder, arson, aggravated mayhem, and sentence-enhancing weapon allegations in the 2018 attack on his father, Arturo Espino Sr., in Desert Hot Springs. Read more: Son Who Tried To Murder Dad In RivCo Accused Of Killing Fellow Inmate
Ronald Dean Ricks, 38, was convicted last year of first-degree murder in the jealousy-motivated shooting death of a 32-year-old Banning man and is now suspected in a California State Prison, Sacramento, killing that included alleged help from fellow inmates who were previously convicted of murdering other incarcerated people. Read more: Riverside County Killer Allegedly Strikes Again, This Time In Prison
Through 2022, the California state prison homicide rate was higher and rising faster than the
rate for all U.S. prisons, according to a 2024 report from the California Correctional Health Care System.
There were 25 homicides at California prisons in 2022 (the most recent year for which data are available). Twenty-two of the killings were committed by fellow inmates, while two were by prison officials responding to inmate altercations.
According to the report, violence is common. Compared to the general population, 30-60% of male prisoners have post-traumatic stress disorder (10 times the rate in the general population), and imprisonment itself is a traumatic life experience.
Prisoners have a higher incidence of having experienced trauma prior to incarceration and continue to witness violent episodes in prison. Racism and gang culture also contribute to the violence, the report found.
Related article: Satanic Inmate Who Raped, Murdered Sister, Killed Actor, Accused In IE
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