A Ceres man convicted and sent to prison for a Turlock murder could be facing new charges after attacking a guard at Pelican Bay State Prison, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation announced on Monday.
Devanae Price, 33, of Ceres could be charged with attempted homicide after he allegedly stabbed a prison guard in the head multiple times, according to the CDCR. Price was sent to prison on Nov. 7, 2017, after being sentenced to life with the possibility of parole for second-degree murder of Falane Jones, 37, in Turlock. Price was a second striker and was additionally convicted of possessing/owning a firearm by a felon or addict as a second striker, with enhancements for a prior felony conviction of a serious offense and intentional discharge of a firearm causing great bodily injury or death.
Around 6:30 p.m. on Aug. 24, Price was being escorted to his cell in the restricted housing unit when he partially freed himself from handcuffs and struck an officer in the face with an inmate manufactured weapon. Staff immediately responded but Price ignored orders to get down. Price continued to strike the officer in the head and torso and staff had to use physical force to quell the attack.
The officer was stabbed in the head and two puncture wounds were discovered in his stab-resistant vest. Swelling to the head and other minor injuries were found during a medical evaluation. The officer was transported to an outside medical facility, treated and released that evening, according to the CDCR.
The weapon was found at the scene.
Price remains within the restricted housing unit. Prison officials are currently investigating the incident. The case will be referred to the Del Norte District Attorney’s Office for possible felony prosecution.
Price was convicted of killing Jones on April 23, 2016, in a shooting around 10 p.m. at the Villas Parkside Apartments at 381 W. Hawkeye Avenue in Turlock. Jones was with his uncle in the parking lot when of the apartment complex when a black car pulled in and the driver opened fire at Jones.
Jones was struck four times in the face, chest and neck. He was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he died from his injuries.
Jones was a father to a young girl and worked at a Tracy warehouse.
Turlock Police investigators were able to obtain witness statements that provided them with a description of the vehicle and the suspects. A search of the area was conducted in the immediate aftermath of the shooting, but the suspects were not located until a few days later in Alameda County.
An Alameda County Sheriff’s deputy was attempting to stop a vehicle for a traffic violation when the driver, later identified as Price, sped away. The vehicle pursuit came to an end when Price crashed the Lexus into a home and he and the three passengers ran from the scene. Price was eventually apprehended.
Price was sentenced by Del Norte County on July 7, 2022, to four years, four months for in-prison offenses of battery of a non-prisoner and resisting or deterring an officer with threats or violence. He was also sentenced by Marin County on September 7, 2023, to four years for an in-prison offense of possession or manufacture of a deadly weapon by an incarcerated person as a second striker.
