On July 11, 2026, at approximately 10:20 a.m. custody staff members saw two incarcerated people fighting in their cell. Staff sounded an alarm and ordered Jovanny Mendez and Sergio Villalobos to get down. Mendez failed to comply and staff used pepper spray to quell the attack.
Officers activated 911 and staff continued life-saving measures on Villalobos as they transferred him to the prison’s triage and treatment area. Subsequently, paramedics arrived and pronounced Villalobos deceased at 10:55 a.m.
Mendez was restrained, removed from the cell and remains in restricted housing pending an investigation by the KVSP Investigative Services Unit and the Kern County District Attorney’s Office. Two incarcerated-persons manufactured weapons were found at the scene. The Office of the Inspector General has been notified.
Read more at: https://www.cdcr.ca.gov/news/2026/07/12/kern-valley-state-prison-officials-investigating-death-of-incarcerated-person-as-a-homicide-3/