LIFE PRISONER CONVICTED OF BRUTAL INMATE ATTACK AT SALINAS VALLEY STATE PRISON

Monterey County District Attorney Jeannine M. Pacioni announced today that Ray Gutierrez Jr. was convicted by a jury of assault by a life prisoner and personal infliction of great bodily injury. The Honorable Judge Stephanie E. Hulsey presided over the trial.

On May 06, 2022, Gutierrez, a state prison inmate serving a life sentence, stabbed his cellmate with a prison weapon approximately 40 times in the face, head, and neck. The victim survived, but only after significant intervention by the medical professionals at the Natividad Medical Center.

Gutierrez is scheduled to be sentenced on October 30, 2026. The defendant faces 27 years to life plus an additional 13 years in prison to be served consecutive to his current 50 year to life sentence

This case was investigated by the Investigative Services Unit of Salinas Valley State Prison and the District Attorney Investigators assigned to the Prison Prosecution Unit.