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A California inmate serving a life sentence for killing his geriatric serial killer cellmate, has been formally charged in the prison stabbing of college student Kristin Smart’s convicted killer, Paul Flores.
Jason Budrow, 43, was identified by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) this week as the suspect in the August 23 attack on Flores at Pleasant Valley State Prison in Coalinga.
What was Jason Budrow charged with in Paul Flores’ prison stabbing?
He was charged with attempted murder with enhancements of use of a deadly weapon and great bodily injury, assault by an inmate serving a life sentence, assault with a deadly weapon by an inmate with an enhancement of great bodily injury, and possession of an inmate-manufactured weapon, CBS News reported.
The Fresno County District Attorney’s office filed a formal complaint on November 30.
Who is Jason Budrow?
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Budrow, a convicted murderer and child sex predator, gained notoriety in 2021 when he killed his cellmate, the “I-5 Strangler” and serial killer, Roger Kibbe. Budrow is serving two life sentences without the possibility of parole already, for fatally strangling his ex-girlfriend in 2010, and for fatally strangling Kibbe. Budrow was also convicted of sexually assaulting a minor in Riverside County in 2004.
The attack unfolded in August, eight months after Flores was found guilty in Smart’s slaying. At the time, Flores’ lawyer, Harold Mesick, told Oxygen his client had been airlifted to hospital in critical condition but had later had his condition restored to “fair.” In the immediate aftermath of the prison attack, a spokesperson for the CDCR refrained from directly characterizing the incident as an attack.
“Pleasant Valley State Prison (PVSP) officials completed the investigation into the attempted homicide of incarcerated person Paul Flores, the man found responsible for the death of Kristin Smart,” CDCR spokesperson Tessa Outhyse told Oxygen Thursday. “At approximately 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2023, yard staff saw Flores fall to the ground between the recreational yard and the medical clinic.
“Staff ordered everyone to get down and summoned medical staff who immediately responded,” Outhyse continued. “Flores was transported to an outside hospital in serious condition. Flores returned to PVSP two days later. Suspect Jason Budrow was discovered nearby with a manufactured weapon. He surrendered to staff without incident. No other incarcerated people or staff were injured.”
Budrow is a suspected devil worshiper and self-described “Satanist.” He has the numbers “666” tattooed above his right eyebrow.
Flores is currently serving 25 years to life at Pleasant Valley State Prison for murdering Smart. Smart, then 19, vanished from California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo on the state’s scenic central coast in May of 1996. She was declared legally dead in 2002.
