By admin 
A 39-year-old man incarcerated at California State Prison, Sacramento, died after an altercation with two other inmates, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation announced Tuesday.
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The incident occurred at roughly 7 p.m. Monday on the upper tier of a housing unit, according to a CDCR news release.
Prison staff reported that Carlos Montenegro was attacked by Justin Castro, 47, and Luis Mendoza, 33. Staff attempting to stop the altercation used five less-lethal impact rounds when orders to stop were ignored.
Montenegro was pronounced dead by responding paramedics at 7:24 p.m. Prison staff discovered two improvised weapons at the scene, according to CDCR.
Castro and Mendoza were placed in restricted housing after the incident, which will be investigated by the SAC Investigative Services Unit and Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office, CDCR reported. The death will be investigated as a homicide. The Office of the Inspector General was notified.
Montenegro arrived at the facility from Los Angeles County in September 2024. He was serving a 6-year sentence for assault with a deadly weapon.
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Castro was transferred to California State Prison, Sacramento, from Los Angeles County in May 2024. He is serving a sentence of life with the possibility of parole for a third-strike offense involving attempted murder, kidnapping and robbery.
Mendoza has been incarcerated at the facility since March 2017. He was transferred from Orange County and is serving a life sentence with the possibility of parole for attempted murder, robbery and assault.
California State Prison, Sacramento, is located near Folsom and is sometimes referred to as “New Folsom” to distinguish it from nearby Folsom State Prison.
This story was originally published October 27, 2026 at 5:28 PM with the headline “CDCR investigating stabbing death at California State Prison, Sacramento.”
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