New reports are raising questions about how prison guards missed the hours-long sadistic torture and beheading of a convicted killer allegedly at the hands of his cellmate.
State Inspector General's Office reports on California lockups raised new questions about the heinous attack at Corcoran State Prison in March 2019. The murder of Luis Romero, 44, has prompted separate investigations and a lawsuit by the family of the victim, the Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday.
Sometime in the early hours of March 9, 2019, Jaime Osuna methodically tortured and killed Romero, authorities said.
Osuna, 31, is accused of using a makeshift knife to decapitate and dissect Romero, removing an eye, a finger and a portion of the man's lung, state documents say.
Jaime Osuna is seen during his sentencing for murder in Bakersfield, Calif., in May 2017. New inspector general reports suggest officers didn't realize Osuna had allegedly killed his cellmate during a check in March 2019
Using a razor-style blade attached to a handle, Osuna ultimately cut off Romero's head. He also posed the body, slicing Romero's face open on either side of his mouth to resemble an extended smile, according to an autopsy.
Guards found Osuna wearing a necklace made of Romero's body parts, the Times said.
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ShareOne of the reports faults the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation for conducting a shoddy investigation and delaying disciplinary action against the guards.
The reports do not explain why the officers did not discover the grisly scene earlier, the Times said.
Luis Romero (left) was killed in March 2019. Jamie Osuna (right) is accused of using a makeshift knife to decapitate and dissect Romero, removing an eye, a finger and a portion of the man's lung, state documents show
A lawsuit filed by Romero's family says the bars were covered by a white sheet, and suggests the guards failed to make a thorough check of the cell.
One of the reports also says two additional officers saw the first two officers 'fail to properly conduct the counts,' but did not report them. None of the officers involved in the incident has been identified.
The Department of Corrections disputed the findings of the Inspector General reports, saying in a statement it conducted a 'thorough and complete investigation from the very beginning.'
But the family's lawsuit also questions why Romero was in a cell with Osuna, a convicted killer and 'self-styled Satanist' with a history of attacking his cellmates, according to the newspaper.
'The idea that my client had to sue in order to get basic questions answered about her son's death is disheartening,' said Justin Sterling, the attorney for Romero's mother.
Sterling also referred to the Department of Corrections as having a 'veil of secrecy' surrounding misconduct.
A judge has ruled that Osuna is not competent to stand trial for Romero's death
The guards were meant to check the cell every so often, Sterling told the Times, and the crime would have taken hours to commit. If the guards had been doing their required checks, Romero would be alive today, he said.
The IG reports also criticize the internal affairs investigation into the incident, saying one officer lied during an internal affairs interview, while noting the special agent in charge of the investigation didn't interview some key witnesses.
The officer who lied was fired, but had their dismissal switched to a nine-month suspension upon appeal after a settlement, according to the Times.
A second officer received a five per cent salary reduction for three years, which was reduced to two years after a settlement following the appeal, according to the case summary.
The special agent also didn't investigate whether or not two killers should have been put together in a cell, the inspector general report states.
Romero, who had spent 27 years in prison, was put in the cell with Osuna after arriving from Mule Creek State Prison, according to the lawsuit.
He was convicted of second-degree murder after fatally shooting a woman in Compton when he was a teenager and associating with gang members. He was nearing parole eligibility.
Pictured: The Corcoran State Prison, where the heinous attack allegedly occurred
His new cellmate, Osuna, was serving a life sentence for the killing and torture of Yvette Pena, 37, at a Bakersfield motel in 2011.
With face tattoos and flair for Charles Manson-like satanic antics, he became a dark figure during the 2017 trial, mocking the victim's family and bragging to a television news reporter of his love of torturing people.
The lawsuit says he once went into another cell to stab and slash an inmate, resulting in 67 stitches.
Prior to Romero's arrival, Osuna had not had a cellmate during his time in prison. During a previous stint at a detention facility, Osuna was found with hatchets and various other weapons, according to the lawsuit.
Kings County Executive Assistant Dist. Atty. Phil Esbenshade called Romero's death the most heinous slaying he had ever seen. 'We do believe that the victim was conscious during at least a portion of the time,' he said.
Osuna has been transferred to Salinas Valley State Prison's psychiatric inpatient program.
He has been diagnosed with unspecified schizophrenia spectrum, antisocial personality disorder and borderline personality disorder, according to the newspaper.
A judge has ruled that Osuna is not competent to stand trial for Romero's death.
KGET reports the January decision about Osuna's competency was made after two psychiatrists determined that he couldn't understand the criminal proceedings.
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