Death of Salinas Valley State Prison Inmate Being Investigated As a Homicide

Soledad, CA…Salinas Valley State Prison (SVSP) officials are investigating the death of an inmate that occurred in one of the prison’s maximum security yards.  Just after 9 p.m. on Monday, October 15, inmate Armando Wehr was found unresponsive in his cell with multiple wounds. Officers quickly intervened and initiated life-saving measures. At 9:35 p.m. Wehr was pronounced dead at the institution.

No suspects have been identified at this time. SVSP administrators have limited inmate movement on the facility where the incident occurred to facilitate the investigation.

Wehr, 33, was received by CDCR in March 2011 from Contra Costa County with a sentence of life with the possibility of parole for second-degree murder, plus 25 years for intentional discharge of a firearm.

SVSP opened May 1996 on approximately 300 acres in Monterey County. The institution provides long-term housing for over 3,200 minimum- and maximum-custody male inmates and employs approximately 1,600 people.