Jason Cortez, a 29-year-old from Watsonville, was convicted of first-degree murder for the 2019 killing of his Santa Cruz County Jail cellmate, German Carrillo. Carrillo, 24, was stabbed, strangled, and suffocated in his cell. Cortez testified that he witnessed Carrillo’s slaying but denied direct involvement, however, the prosecution argued that he was a willful accomplice as part of a larger jail gang conspiracy. Cortez was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole and ordered to pay restitution to the Carrillo family.
