California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, California
End of Watch: Wednesday, July 21, 1971
Age: 38
Tour of Duty: 5 years
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Stabbed
Date of Incident: July 21, 1971
Weapon Used: Edged weapon
Suspect Info: Sentenced to life
Correctional Officer Leo Davis was stabbed to death at San Quentin State Prison while guarding a prisoner who was a witness to the murder of Officer William Shull the previous year at Soledad Prison.
Officer Davis was guarding the door to the prisoner's hospital cell when he was attacked and stabbed by two inmates who were attempting to gain access to the cell to murder the other prisoner.
The suspects were convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life on June 21, 1973.
Officer Shull was stabbed to death on July 23, 1970, and Officer John Mills was beaten to death on January 16, 1970, in retaliation for an earlier incident in which three prisoners were shot and killed during a courtyard riot.
Correctional Officer Davis had served with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation for five years. He was survived by his wife and four children.