A convicted murderer from Santa Clara County, Luis Alvarez, 30, is accused of killing another inmate, Anthony Alvarez, 29, at High Desert State Prison in Susanville, California, on Wednesday, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation CDCR.
Luis Alvarez, along with 41-year-old Vincent Martinez from Kings County, allegedly attacked Anthony Alvarez in a prison dayroom around 5:45 p.m. Prison officers intervened, stopping the attack and attempting to provide medical aid, but Anthony Alvarez was pronounced dead at 6:23 p.m.
Both Luis Alvarez and Martinez have been placed in restricted housing as prison officials and the Lassen County District Attorney’s Office investigate the incident. Officers recovered two homemade weapons at the scene.
Anthony Alvarez was serving a 10-year sentence for attempted second-degree murder, while Martinez was serving a 22-year sentence for similar crimes. Luis Alvarez was serving a life sentence with the possibility of parole for first-degree murder.
The Mercury News reported that a man named Luis Alvarez, who has a matching neck tattoo, was convicted of a brutal murder in San Jose in 2014. He was part of a group that killed 33-year-old Michael Maynard near Plaza de Cesar Chavez Park.