The death of a 36-year-old prisoner who was transferred from Riverside County and discovered unconscious in his cell is being investigated as a homicide by investigators at Salinas Valley State Prison in Soledad, California, officials with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation announced this week.
A CDCR news release stated that the finding was made on September 30 at 10:45 a.m. while police were on security rounds.
Justin Herbert, the victim, and Jesse Hernandez, his cellmate, were in a cell when police arrived. Herbert was not responding, so they called for emergency medical help right away.
The 36-year-old prisoner was pronounced dead at 10:58 a.m. by a state prison doctor who responded.
SVSP detectives discovered an inmate-made firearm during the scene and placed Hernandez, 38, in restricted housing while the investigation continues.
In 2004, Hernandez was transported from Los Angeles County to Salinas Valley State Prison, where he is serving a life sentence with the chance of release for second degree murder. While detained, Monterey County sentenced the 38-year-old to 12 years in prison for an April 2023 in-prison attack with a deadly weapon.
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The victim, who was sent to jail in 2013, was serving a life sentence without the possibility of release for attempted first-degree murder. While detained, Lassen County sentenced him to eight years in prison for assault with a deadly weapon.
The Monterey County Coroner will ascertain Herbert’s official cause of death. There were no other explanations given for how the incident might have happened or for a potential reason behind the murder.
