HDSP inmate convicted of attempted murder of a correctional officer
Yesterday, a Lassen County Superior Court jury convicted a High Desert State Prison inmate of attempted murder of a correctional officer during a May 8, 2019 incident.
According to a Facebook post by the Lassen County District Attorney’s Officer, a jury found Raul Torres Serrano guilty of the “willful, deliberate and premediated attempted murder” charge Wednesday, Sept. 7. The jury also found Serrano guilty of assault with a deadly weapon, as well as being in possession of a sharpened instrument while confined in a penal institution.
According to the post, testimony in the trial revealed the officer performed a cell check on Serrano some hours before the attack, and found and seized contraband, angering Serrano. Later, the inmate obtained a weapon and tired to stab the officer in a day room while telling the officer he was going to kill him.
A sentencing date has not been set, but the willful, deliberate and premeditated attempted murder of a peace officer is punished by a term of 15 years-life.
According to the Facebook post, “There are legislators working in Sacramento who keep pushing to shorten sentences, abolish life sentences, reclassify offenses as ‘nonviolent,’ and release thousands of offenders onto our streets without consideration that the offenders currently in state prison are there for ‘serious’ and/or ‘violent’ offenses and are continuing to commit acts of violence therein. Inmate Serrano attacked and attempted to murder a correctional officer for something as small as seizing contraband —something that likely would have resolved administratively with a rules violation. Yet offenders like him are who our lawmakers want to send back into our neighborhoods.
“We appreciate the jurors time and attention over the last two days, especially coming in on a Tuesday after a long weekend. The case was investigated and submitted by HDSP-ISU and prosecuted by special prosecutor Jordan Funk.”
