SCC Prisoner Convicted Of 2nd Degree Murder

Jamestown, CA – A Sierra Conservation Center inmate was convicted of 2nd-degree murder for the slaying of another prisoner with scissors.

Tuolumne County District Attorney Cassandra Jenecke reports that inmate Carlos Hernandez was convicted of killing on Thursday, December 12, 2024, in Jamestown. The case involved the use of a deadly weapon and the defendant’s prior strike convictions, state Jenecke, adding that Hernandez admitted to engaging in violent conduct that indicated a serious danger to society, having seven prior strike convictions with increasing seriousness, and serving a prior prison term.

The murder occurred on October 6, 2021, at Sierra Conservation Center in Jamestown, where inmates learn sewing and garment construction skills. The defendant repeatedly slashed and stabbed Hubert Watts, an inmate working in the sewing factory, with a large pair of scissors and thread snips, argued the prosecution, sharing that even after Watts was no longer able to fend off the defendant’s attack, Harris ignored civilian staff’s repeated orders to stop. A correctional officer had to use his baton to end the assault. Watts suffered thirteen slash wounds, primarily to his face and head, and a stab wound that penetrated his chest and pierced his heart.

Harris was initially sentenced to state prison for thirty years in 1993 for crimes related to the kidnapping and rape of an eleven-year-old girl at gunpoint. He was later sentenced to twenty-five years to life for making a weapon while in prison under the old three strikes law. After Proposition 36 passed in 2012, the defendant petitioned for resentencing, which was denied due to his unreasonable risk of committing a super strike, according to Jenecke. In 2016, he was convicted of his second in prison offense for possession of a controlled substance, leading to an additional two-year prison sentence.

Harris’ sentencing in the current case is scheduled for January 7, 2025, with a possible maximum term of imprisonment of an additional six years plus forty-five to life.