Braydon Lesseos
His mother described Braydon Lesseos, 25, as a gifted athlete and a stepfather to a young boy he loved very much, and said he was working to turn his life around and spoke with her two or three times a day. Prison officials said he was found in his cell at California State Prison, Sacramento, on December 25, 2020, with multiple stab wounds, and that his cellmate was suspected of killing him and was moved to segregated housing. The prison said its Investigative Services Unit was investigating. His mother said the guards' rounds should have caught the attack and asked why no charges had been filed. A report by court-appointed suicide prevention expert Lindsay Hayes lists his death as a suicide, citing punctures to his neck, an account that differs from the prison's.
Cause of death, as reported: Killed by another person in custody (disputed; neglect alleged). Prison officials say his cellmate stabbed him, a court-appointed suicide prevention expert's report calls it suicide, and his mother says guards' rounds should have caught the attack.
Reported by: California State Prison, Sacramento staff and CDCR (the agency that held him); Lindsay Hayes, court-appointed suicide prevention expert; mother, Shanna (family or their lawyers).
News reports (4)
- Sacramento prison inmate suspected of stabbing, killing cellmate on Christmas
- Inmate Homicide of Former Yolo County Convict at California State Prison, Sacramento, Prompts Investigation; Mother Wants Answers
- One Month Later, Mother Mourns – No Charges in Inmate Homicide at California State Prison, Sacramento
- Judge to Fine California Each Day It Fails to Complete Prisoner Suicide Prevention Measures