Inmate from Yolo County died after assault at Salinas prison, CDCR says
The death of a Yolo County man at Salinas Valley State Prison this week is being investigated as a homicide, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said Wednesday.
Israel M. Mendoza, 40, died Tuesday, after he was attacked by another inmate, the department said in a news release. He was sent to the Soledad prison in 2015, and was serving a 14-year sentence for false imprisonment and inflicting a physical injury on another person.
Prison staff saw another inmate, Orlando M. Ochoa, assaulting Mendoza about 5:15 p.m. and responded with chemical agents to stop the attack, CDCR said. Staff members administered life-saving measures to Mendoza and called 911, CDCR officials said.
But he was pronounced dead by paramedics at the prison’s triage and treatment area at 5:52 p.m., the agency said. His death will be investigated by prison officials, the state Office of Inspector General and the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office’s coroner unit, CDCR said.
Ochoa, 40, was placed in a restricted housing unit while the case is under investigation, officials said. Ochoa was sent to the Soledad facility in 2006 after a second-degree robbery conviction in San Bernardino County. While he was serving his five-year sentence, Ochoa was convicted of the additional crimes of manslaughter and second-degree robbery in Los Angeles County, which carried sentences totaling 32 years.
Mendoza was at least the second suspected homicide at the prison in the past six months. Inmate Joseph Mendoza, 36, died on April 8 after he was attacked by two inmates using improvised weapons, CDCR said.
This story was originally published October 15, 2025 at 3:49 PM with the headline "Inmate from Yolo County died after assault at Salinas prison, CDCR says."
