Prisoner fatally stabbed at NorCal prison; inmate from San Mateo County among suspects
SUSANVILLE, Lassen County – A man from San Mateo County serving a 23-year prison term at a prison in a remote part of Northern California is accused of fatally stabbing a fellow inmate, correctional officials said.
According to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, 33-year-old Alexander J. Jasso was stabbed by two inmates at the High Desert State Prison in Susanville around 8:15 p.m. Saturday. Jasso suffered multiple stab wounds and was taken to an outside medical facility where he later died.
CDCR officials said Jasso entered the prison in 2011 from Monterey County. He was serving a life sentence with the possibility of parole for attempted first-degree murder, assault with a semiautomatic firearm, and discharging a firearm into an inhabited dwelling, along with street gang enhancements.
Corrections officials have launched a homicide investigation into the stabbing. An inmate-manufactured weapon was recovered at the scene.
Two inmates, identified as 29-year-old Jose A. Nava and 32-year-old Jesse E. Diaz, were moved to restricted housing pending investigation into the case. Officials have also limited movement on the prison yard during the investigation.
San Mateo County resident Nava entered the prison in 2017 after being convicted of attempted murder in a shooting in South San Francisco, which prosecutors said resulted from dispute between gangs. He was also among 23 inmates indicted in a brawl at the San Mateo County Jail in 2015.
Diaz entered in 2014 to serve a life sentence, after being convicted in Monterey County for first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder and assault, among other charges.
Located in Lassen County east of Susanville, High Desert State Prison houses more than 2,500 inmates.