United States Department of Justice - Federal Bureau of Prisons, U.S. Government
End of Watch: Friday, June 20, 2008
Age: 22
Tour of Duty: 10 months
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Stabbed
Date of Incident: June 20, 2008
Weapon Used: Edged weapon; Shank
Suspect Info: Sentenced to life
Correctional Officer Jose Rivera was stabbed to death by two inmates at United States Penitentiary Atwater in Atwater, California. The inmates stabbed Officer Rivera with homemade knives as he was locking cell doors in preparation for the 4:00 pm headcount.
Other officers immediately responded to the location and restrained both suspects. Officer Rivera was transported to a local hospital where he succumbed to his wounds several hours later.
One inmate, serving a life sentence for a third robbery, was convicted of murder and received a new life sentence. The other inmate, serving a life sentence for murder, is to be tried in April of 2015.
One of the inmates who murdered Officer Rivera had been implicated, but never charged, in the murder of Correctional Officer Douglas Mashburn of the Guam Department of Corrections on June 24th, 1987.
Officer Rivera was a U.S. Navy veteran and had served with the Federal Bureau of Prisons for only 10 months. He is survived by his mother, two sisters, and brother.