Victim Identified In Suspected Inmate-To-Inmate Murder At Old Max
By Anna Maria Basquez
CANON CITY, Colo. (CBS4)– State officials said the death of an inmate on March 8 at Colorado Territorial Correctional Facility is suspected to be an inmate-to-inmate homicide, possibly between cellmates.
Officials named the victim as Cruz Carbajal, 41, who resided in Mesa County before incarceration. "A suspect has been identified, but has not yet been named due to the ongoing nature of the investigation," the statement by the Colorado Department of Corrections said. Officials were checking whether the suspect was transferred from the facility.
Staff at Carbajal's facility, known as "Old Max," which was the first prison here before Colorado was a state, found the inmate dead on the floor of his cell at about 7:30 a.m. March 8. Injuries were suggestive of a "serious assault," the state reported. They said staff attempted life-saving measures and the inmate was transported by ambulance to St. Thomas More Hospital in Canon City where he was pronounced dead.
"It is pretty rare for us to have homicides," said Lisa Wiley, interim spokeswoman for the Colorado Department of Corrections of the facility.
At least two other homicides to prisoners occurred in recent years at Colorado State Penitentiary according to CDOC news releases in August of 2021 and in November 2020. While there were news releases that investigations were launched into those, there were not follow-up releases and CBS4 News was told an open records request was required to find out more in those instances.
She said each cell in the Colorado Territorial was typically a single or a double cell with one other cellmate.
The cause and manner of death are not going to be available for up to 16 weeks, according to the Fremont County Coroner Randy Keller. The autopsy is not going to be available for 12 to 16 weeks, the coroner's office said. The investigation will not be complete for eight to 12 weeks, said Colorado Department of Corrections officials. The body was released to family, officials said. Carbajal, before being incarcerated, resided in Mesa County.
"It depends on the charges," Keller said, about the length of time it takes to release the autopsy report. Sometimes there is a court order in situations similar, he said.
The Office of the Inspector General and Fremont County Coroner are investigating the incident and will coordinate with the Fremont County District Attorney's Office regarding any potential charges.
Wiley wasn't certain as to if the death was the first homicide inmate-to-inmate at the state's oldest prison.
Carabajal was incarcerated for sexual assault, incest and theft, Wiley said. He was serving an indeterminate sentence due to the sexual assault charges and not up for parole until 2030. He was first incarcerated with the State of Colorado in 2013.