The family of Inmate Joseph Mendoza (deceased) is taking CDCR into federal court, claiming staff at Salinas Valley State Prison stood by while he was fatally attacked, then let graphic surveillance video of his killing leak online. Relatives say the spread of the images has turned their grief into something far worse, and the wrongful-death complaint names two fellow inmates as suspects while monetary seeking damages in U.S. District Court.
The lawsuit alleges that Inmates Edgar Frayre and Nicolas Young attacked Inmate Mendoza on April 8 and stabbed him close to 100 times across his torso, back, face, neck, head, and eyes. Lawyers for the family say video of the assault first circulated among prison staff and then hit multiple social media accounts. The suit calls the sharing of the footage “malicious, reckless and without legitimate correctional purpose.”
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation tells a very different story. In a news release, the agency said custody staff immediately responded to the dayroom violence, issued verbal commands and used multiple less-than-lethal options to break up the incident before starting life-saving measures. CDCR identified Frayre and Young as the suspects and said medical staff later pronounced Mendoza dead.
The family’s lawyers argue that whoever shared the footage may have run afoul of a 2020 California law passed in the wake of the Kobe Bryant helicopter crash. That statute makes it a misdemeanor for first responders to take or distribute images of victims for non-official purposes. AB 2655, often called the Kobe Bryant Act, was crafted to stop the unauthorized circulation of graphic images, and attorneys say it offers a legal hook when pictures or video are spread beyond any legitimate correctional need. The legislation tightened state rules for first responders in 2020.
The federal complaint asks a judge to find the state liable and to award damages to Mendoza’s family. The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation has said the Monterey County District Attorney’s office and Salinas Valley’s Investigative Services Unit are reviewing the case. In a separate statement, CDCR said its investigation is ongoing and that staff found to have violated policy could face discipline.