SOLEDAD — Monterey County District Attorney’s Office announced April 30 that Salinas Valley State Prison inmate Juan Jose Bueno, 30, was sentenced to serve a term of life without the possibility of parole after being convicted by a jury of first-degree murder.
Bueno was also convicted of assault by a life prisoner causing death and possession of a weapon. Judge Stephanie Hulsey presided over the trial.
Bueno admitted he had previously been convicted of four “strikes” under California’s Three Strikes Law, including a prior conviction for murder. At the time of the murder, he was already serving a life sentence for his prior murder conviction.
On March 21, 2023, Bueno and his co-defendant, Roberto Carlos Cortez, participated in a two-on-one stabbing of inmate Steven Lovely during recreational time in the day room at Salinas Valley State Prison in Soledad.
“They used inmate-manufactured weapons to stab Lovely close to 50 times until he was unresponsive,” according to the DA’s Office. “Despite medical intervention, Lovely died in the hospital five days later. The entire attack was captured on video.”
Cortez is scheduled to be sentenced on June 18.
