According to a Facebook post, last week a Lassen County jury convicted inmates Douglas Leon and Roger Vasquez of the 2019 first-degree murder of another inmate while incarcerated at High Desert State Prison.
The jury also found true the special circumstances that inmate Leon previously sustained a prior first-degree murder conviction in 2011 and further that both Leon and Vasquez intentionally killed the victim by lying in wait.
Sentencing will be conducted at a future date.
This trial marked the 21st case our office has presented to a jury since January; it was the second of five we will be presenting in the month of October, while managing our regular court calendars.
Our request for an additional attorney this fiscal year was denied during the budget process.
We thank the jury for their time and deliberation in this matter. This incident was investigated by High Desert State Prison and was prosecuted by Special Prosecutor (Prison) Jordan Funk.
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