An inmate homicide investigation is currently underway at California State Prison, Sacramento, commonly known as new Folsom Prison, following a fatal assault within the facility walls. On Sunday morning, prison staff witnessed a violent attack on inmate Randy Schlaepfer, leading to his untimely death.
According to a report from FOX40, three inmates; Gregory Roach, Ronald Ricks, and Gregg Reynolds, were observed assaulting Schlaepfer at approximately 9:10 a.m. Correctional officers intervened, using pepper spray and an "instantaneous blast grenade" in an effort, to subdue the aggressors. Despite these efforts, Schlaepfer was found with multiple stab wounds and was later pronounced dead by the Folsom Fire Department personnel at 9:46 a.m.
The deceased, 55-year-old Randy Schlaepfer, was servicing a double life sentence, with the possibility of parole for a 1995 second-degree murder conviction and another charge in 2015 for assaulting a prisoner with a deadly weapon. Investigators at the scene recovered two "inmate-manufactured" weapons believed to have been used in the stabbing, as detailed by the FOX40 publication.
In a separate report by The Sacramento Bee, it was stated that the Sacramento County Coroner’s Office will be responsible for determining the official cause of Schlaepfer's death. In further developments, inmate Ronald Ricks received medical attention at an outside facility where his condition was listed as "fair," while no other inmates or prison staff suffered injuries during the incident. Greg Roach and Gregg Reynolds have since been placed in restricted housing as the Investigative Services Unit and the Sacramento County District Attorney's office carry out their investigation.
The three accused assailants all received life sentences for separate convictions, including first-degree murder. In the complex ecosystem of prison justice and retribution, the violence inflicted upon Schlaepfer is, regrettably, not an anomaly but underscores ongoing concerns about safety and security within the state's penal institutions.
