SOLEDAD — California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) officials are investigating the Nov. 29 death of incarcerated person Kevin Torres at Salinas Valley State Prison (SVSP) in Soledad as a homicide.
At 9:19 p.m., custody staff conducting a security check in a Housing Unit approached a cell occupied by Torres and another incarcerated person, Thomas Farias. Staff discovered Torres unresponsive in the cell, and responding personnel immediately initiated life-saving efforts, officials said.
Torres was transported by ambulance to an outside medical facility, where he was pronounced dead at 10:49 p.m. by medical personnel.
Farias has been placed in restricted housing pending an investigation by the SVSP Investigative Services Unit and the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office for potential murder charges. Officials said the Office of the Inspector General was notified, and the Monterey County Coroner will determine the official cause of death.
Torres, 26, was received from Sonoma County on Oct. 26, 2018, to serve a 19-year sentence for attempted second-degree murder with firearm-discharge enhancements.
Farias, 39, was received from Fresno County on Aug. 24, 2005, to serve a 12-year sentence for inflicting corporal injury on a spouse/cohabitant, second-degree burglary and assault with a firearm.
