Julian Mendez
Julian Mendez, 46, was held at Kern Valley State Prison in Delano, California, when he was attacked on June 6, 2025, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR). CDCR says another person held there began beating him at about 10:30 a.m., that more than 30 others joined in, and that officers used blast grenades to end the fight. A doctor pronounced him dead at 11:05 a.m. CDCR says it is investigating the death as a homicide, and the Kern County Coroner will determine the official cause. Accounts differ on how many people joined the attack and whether an improvised weapon was found at the scene.
Cause of death, as reported: Killed by another person in custody. California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation officials say another incarcerated man attacked him, and more than 30 others joined a brawl that staff ended with blast grenades; the Kern County Coroner will determine the official cause of death.
Reported by: California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (the agency that held him). The only account of how this person died comes from the agency that held him.
News reports (6)
- Kern Valley State Prison Officials Investigating Death of Incarcerated Person as a Homicide - California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
- RivCo Death Row Inmate Killed In Prison, Mob Attacks Suspect
- Death row inmate killed in California prison as guards deploy blast grenades to control violent mob attack
- Death row inmate killed in California prison as guards deploy blast grenades to control violent mob attack
- Inmate stabbed and killed in Kern Valley prison after attacked by more than 30 inmates
- CDCR halts inmate visits at 21 prisons amid spike in violence, overdoses