Left to right: Luis Torres, Jose Gonzalez and Richard Wilson (CDCR)
Posted on 01/31/2025 8:26:42 AM PST by artichokegrower
An attempted homicide investigation is underway in a California state prison after a supervising correctional officer was reportedly attacked by three inmates, authorities announced Thursday.
(Excerpt) Read more at ktla.com ...
Hey Newsom how’d that banning the death penalty in California working out
Torres, 34, was transferred to the prison in 2014, where he was serving a life sentence with the possibility of parole for first-degree murder and intentionally discharging a firearm causing great bodily injury or death. While in prison, he was sentenced to an additional four years for assault by a prisoner with any means of force.
Wilson, 32, was transferred to Pelican Bay from Sacramento County in 2015, where he was serving a 14-year sentence for driving under the influence with a prior felony conviction of a serious offense and inflicting great bodily injury. In 2018, he was sentenced by San Luis Obispo County to three years for battery on a non-prisoner. In 2021, he was sentenced by Del Norte County to one year for possession/manufacture of a deadly weapon.
This is what happens when you get rid of the death penalty...
Maybe I watched too many TV dramas but perhaps the corrections officer was a bad apple. Putting my Columbo hat on, did they randomly jump this one guy or plan on getting him specifically. If so why?
Anyway they are all likely going back to pelican bay SHU.
C.O.’s are the biggest gang in any prison. Their characters are perfect for that job. Violent. Sadistic. Two faced. Mean people.
Agreed. Execution of convicted murderers is the only way to protect our citizens, including the often forgotten prison officers.
They aren’t sending their best inmates.
Maybe you do. Convicts doing time for first degree murder don't need an excuse to attack and kill anyone inside prison.
“C.O.’s are the biggest gang in any prison. Their characters are perfect for that job. Violent. Sadistic. Two faced. Mean people.”
Wow, that’s an awful broad brush your painting with there my friend.
You leaning on any personal experience regarding your comment?
Because I spent 5 years in my church’s prison ministry and I saw none of what your referring to.
And BTW, in case you’re not aware, Pelican Bay is where the worst of the worst get sent.....I imagine a guard would have to be pretty hard nosed just to function there.
Nice to know you plop everyone who wears a correctional uniform in the same pile. Did you come to your narrow-minded conclusion from your own experiences behind bars?
Life without parole is a license to kill, since no penalty supersedes its
For what it’s worth, California still has the death penalty on the books. But both courts and governors have put up roadblocks to keep it from being applied.
Their mamas can be proud.
after my 30 years in corrections, I can say that correctional workers are human, what a concept, I know but yes they all have the same imperfections as you the non convicted criminal, that being said place yourself in their shoes amongst people with no constraints to abuse others and cause unlimited problems for the fun of it. they are trying to care for the worst humans in a humane manner with limited resources, and they all want to go home at night.
Well, unless they are psychopaths there is usually an instigating factor or motive for murder. Robbery, revenge etc. From the post it sounds like a conspiracy - three perps jumped a guard. It may not be a good one but there had to be a reason. Perhaps violence was an over the top response. Perhaps they just didn’t like being assigned KP duty. But it’s still a conspiracy.
Ok, I’ll put my Columbo trench coat back on the hanger now 😀.
Hey where is Kamala. She can probably work this.
I spent 25 years in uniform in NY State's Correctional system. Retired as a Sergeant. We'll either hear there wasn't a motive, but if the officer was at fault, some zealous liberal reporter will make sure to report on it. Inmate attacks and murders on other inmates can often occur because of something that happened on the street. There is no time limit on street justice being followed through in prisons. And it should be known that if an officer is dirty, the convicts will protect him because they don't want to lose that connection to the outside.
In this instance, it could be the officer reported the convicts for disciplinary reasons too many times according to the convicts, and they got pissed at him. One or more of the convicts could have approached the officer to bring contraband in, or conduct some business for them on the street, and he refused and turned them in. It's anybody's guess. Officers being attacked by convicts doesn't necessarily mean the officer is a bad person. He might be enforcing the rules the way he's supposed to, and that can get convicts upset too. Convicts will call an officer who enforces the rules "a bad person," especially if that officer is the same race as the convict he's pissing off. I can't tell you how many times I heard black and hispanic officers tell me that they were call "traitors" because they wore a uniform.
Convicts don't like to hear the word NO! They are like kids. If one officer tells them no, they can't do something, they will next go to a Sergeant to see if they can get their way. If the Sergeant says no, they'll stop a Lieutenant on his rounds and ask them if they can do it, and on up the chain of command. They like to play their little manipulative games.
Whenever a convict came to me about getting permission to do something, I'd ask him: "What did the officer tell you?" If they hadn't even asked an officer first, I told them to go to the officer in charge of the unit. If they told me the officer had said "No", I told them, "Well there's your answer." I never countermanded an officer's decision. It wasn't my job to. But the reason most officers and Sergeants hated the Lieutenant's and above, was because most of them were gutless wonders who would give in too often to the inmates, which then made us look weak. So why bother doing the job the way you were taught to do it, if the people above you aren't going to back you up, but instead, give in to the whims of the convicts?
Not long after I started work at Auburn, my first facility, I had an asshole throw a glass jar at me that shattered while I was walking down the gallery with another officer. I had some hairline cuts from the shards. Fortunately I had seen him in time, and turned my face away. I was new, and had never even worked in that block yet. Because of other glass incidents around the State, the department disallowed convict packages that contained glass containers.
At the facility I retired from in 2003, I was the Sergeant covering the rec yard one night when a melee broke out. It was dark. Out of the blue some convict punched me in my right jaw. I never saw who did it, but it turned out it was a homo who later bragged to another convict in his classroom, that he had punched the female Sergeant in the face. The instructor overheard him and reported him, and the instructor was then directed to write up a misbehavior report over the incident. The convict was put in special housing, but I was never privy as to what punishment he received. Probably not much is my guess.
We have no idea what the past street charges, prison disciplinary record, or psychiatric record of these three convicts consists of. Not likely we'll hear any of that either. In some courts around the country, if an inmate goes on trial for committing a crime in prison, you can't even bring up the convict's prior crimes, to show a pattern of behavior.
Not all, my step son was one in a local jail. Perhaps in violent prisons, it is necessary.
Thank you for working that job. It probably feels somewhat thankless. We all want justice and we want criminals locked up but it can’t be easy keeping a couple thousand sociopaths and violent offenders in line. I understand they will play mind games and manipulate whatever situation they are in.
You said “if an inmate goes on trial for committing a crime in prison, you can’t even bring up the convict’s prior crimes, to show a pattern of behavior” which just seems ridiculous. I have heard (on my TV dramas lol) sometimes judges will refuse to allow prior record because it may prejudice the jury. But if it is as you say a pattern of antisocial behavior or violent tendencies it should be a factor - perhaps in sentencing if not before the jury. I wonder why prisons don’t have their own internal justice system but I suppose it a real serious crime (as opposed to an infraction) occurs you have to call in the cops or DA.
Yes I am sorry you had glass and punches thrown at you. Seems like common sense not to give inmates glass. My neighbor is actually a former violent felon. Did about 10 years, three different stints. When he was younger he did some terrible things though by his telling the last one he was victimized but since he’s got the sheet on him his method of defense was illegal. But he’s completely reformed now as far as I know. I couldn’t tell you what turned him around specifically, though he has several brothers who are all straight arrows. Good family probably helps. And his mother is a sweetheart too. He’s a grandfather now (started very young) and a union man. He works very hard, sometimes long hours. Very nice guy, we sit and have a few drinks after work from time to time. He’s totally open about his past. A few of his kids live with him and sometimes he says “I am glad I can control my temper because if it was 10 years ago I would have decked that punk”. We get a chuckle. He’s got a good sense of humor and humility. But he also told me how they fashion weapons in prison, the ways they smuggle drugs, how to make prison hooch, how to barter and loan in prison, and as you said how they arrange various services on the outside eg give money to my mom or wife and I’ll do this for you etc. Crazy stuff most people don’t think about. It seems like another world with its own set of rules and codes of conduct
Anyway thanks for the post and for your service.
Maybe they do eventually grow out of that crap.
It's amazing how some families end up with one bad actor. Plenty of decent mothers from NY City would work all week, then hop on a prison bus Friday night, and spend the whole night on the road so they could visit their kid on Saturday morning. And what would the first thing out of the kid's mouth be? "What did you bring me." Not even "hi, thanks for coming."
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