Officials Investigating Two Separate Homicides In Vacaville Prison Yard With Four Suspects Involved

VACAVILLE (CBS13) — Prison officials in Solano County are investigating two separate but related homicides that happened within a minute of each other on Wednesday afternoon.

According to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR), the first attack happened around 3:20 p.m in a general population yard at California State Prison-Solano. Inmates Pedro Garcia and Greg Medrano reportedly attacked inmate Mizrain Nava Cano, 26, with weapons.

Less than a minute later, inmates Gabriel Mora and Richard Raya allegedly attacked inmate Jorge Cruz-Banuelos, 30, in the same yard.

READ: Officials: 2 Prisoners Kill Third California Prison Inmate

Prison officials say Cruz-Baneulos was stabbed in his neck, chest, and back and pronounced dead at 3:42 p.m. Nava Cano was pronounced dead at 3:45 p.m. by paramedics after suffering several stab wounds to his neck and back.

Correctional officers found three weapons in the yard. All four suspects were re-housed in the administrative segregation unit for the investigation.

CDCR said Navo Cano was serving a 13-year sentence from Sonoma County for manslaughter and committing a street gang act. Cruz-Banuelos also came from Sonoma County and was serving a 17-year sentence for assault with a deadly weapon, gang activity, and a previous felony.