California killer with pentagram tattoo beheads his cellmate

April 29, 2019

A man already serving life in prison without the possibility of parole for murder allegedly tortured and beheaded his cellmate in what authorities are describing as a sadistic act. [LA Times]

On the morning of March 9, guards at Corcoran State Prison found Luis Romero dead in his cell. Prosecutors allege Jaime Osuna removed several of Romero’s body parts overnight while repeatedly cutting him with a sharp metal object wrapped in string and attached to a handle.

Romero bled to death as a result of multiple sharp force trauma injuries, and his body was mutilated, according to an autopsy reported released on Friday. Kings County Assistant District Attorney Phil Esbenshade said the murder is the most gruesome case he has seen in terms of the heinousness in the killing.

Prosecutors have charged Osuna with murder, torture, mayhem and weapons possession. The torture charge consists of an allegation that Osuna acted “with the intent to cause cruel and extreme pain and suffering for the purpose of revenge, extortion, persuasion, and for a sadistic purpose.”

Osuna, who has pleaded not guilty to the new charges, was sentenced to life without parole for the killing of Yvette Pena, 37, at a Bakersfield motel in 2011. Romero had been serving life in prison with the possibility of parole for a Los Angeles County murder.

The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation is conducting an internal investigation into the murder of Romero. Corrections officials have transferred Osuna to a Stockton prison for inmates who need medical or mental healthcare. Officials are not disclosing the reason for transferring Osuna, citing privacy laws.