Merced, CA (February 11, 2026) — A press release from Pointer & Buelna, Lawyers For The People states that the wife and parents of 36-year-old Merced resident Joseph Mendoza will hold a news conference Wednesday to discuss their federal civil rights lawsuit against the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) over his death and the subsequent circulation of graphic video from Salinas Valley State Prison.
Mendoza, a native of Merced, was incarcerated at Salinas Valley State Prison in Soledad when he was fatally attacked by two fellow inmates on April 8, 2025.
His wife, Celina Mendoza, mother Zina Kumetat, and father Ismael Mendoza will join attorneys Adanté Pointer, Bryan Harrison and Stephen A. King at an 11 a.m. press conference Wednesday at 155 Filbert St., Suite 208 in Oakland. The event will also be livestreamed on Instagram at @lawyersftp, the press release says.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court on Dec. 1, 2025, alleges that Mendoza’s killing, which involved an assault by two inmates identified by CDCR as Edgar Frayre and Nicolas Young inside a day room at the prison, was allowed to continue without adequate intervention by corrections staff. After the assault, video showing the fatal attack later circulated online, the family’s lawsuit claims.
The lawsuit contends prison officials failed to prevent the assault, failed to intervene properly, and did not safeguard sensitive surveillance material, allowing graphic footage to spread online. The article notes Mendoza was stabbed repeatedly during the attack before being pronounced dead at the scene.
In its own account of the April incident, CDCR said custody staff observed the attack, issued verbal commands and deployed less-than-lethal measures before beginning medical aid, though Mendoza later died of his injuries. CDCR said the incident remains under investigation by the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office and the prison’s Investigative Services Unit.
The family’s lawsuit seeks damages and accountability from the state and correctional officials. In press materials, the attorneys argue that Mendoza’s pleas to be placed in protective custody were ignored before the attack and that the handling of the video compounded the family’s trauma. A response from CDCR to the federal complaint was not included in the press release.
