By Bay City News
Two Salinas Valley State Prison inmates have been convicted of first-degree murder after fatally stabbing a fellow inmate, the office of Monterey County District Attorney Jeannine M. Pacioni announced on Friday.
A jury found Roberto Carlos Cortez and Juan Jose Bueno, both 30, guilty of the attack on inmate Steven Lovely, the DA’s office noted.
Cortez and Bueno attacked Lovely on March 21, 2023, during recreational time in the day room, prosecutors said.
According to the press release issued on Friday, the inmates stabbed Lovely 50 times until he was unresponsive.
The entire attack was reportedly caught on camera.
Despite medical intervention, Lovely died in the hospital five days later, prosecutors said.
Bueno, who has a prior murder conviction and four “strikes” under California’s Three Strikes Law, faces life in prison without parole. Cortez, also with four “strikes,” faces up to 75 years to life.