Joseph Mendoza: California man stabbed 180 times in jail; family sues jail after stabbing video goes viral

Joseph Mendoza, a man from Merced, californiaIn April 2025, he was stabbed 180 times in prison. The video of the stabbing was filmed by an unknown person and shared on social media.

The video went viral and was viewed thousands of times, attracting the attention of authorities at the Salinas Valley Prison in Soledad, California. Now, Mendoza’s family has filed a civil rights lawsuit accusing prison authorities of “deliberate indifference” in the viral video. The family confirmed to The California Post that the lawsuit was filed in December 2025 in the Northern District of California.

Mendoza, who was serving a 22-year sentence for robbery and attempted murder at the time of his death, was shown on video being stabbed 180 times with a knife in Soldado Prison. The California Department of Corrections identified Edgar Frayre and Nicolas Young, the inmates behind the stabbing.

This story is being updated.