DHS man convicted of attempting to murder his father accused of killing inmate at state prison

A Desert Hot Springs man convicted of attempting to murder his father is now suspected of killing an inmate at a state prison, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation announced.

Miguel Angel Espino, 31, is suspected to have attacked another inmate Monday at around 10:30 a.m. at the Salinas Valley State Prison in Soledad. Correction officers were able to quickly stop the attack and "recovered one inmate-manufactured weapon at the scene," according to the department.

The inmate, identified as Michael Spengler, 38, of Pomona, was pronounced dead less than an hour after the attack, officials confirmed.

Espino has been placed in restricted housing pending an investigation by SVSP Investigative Services Unit and the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office. The Office of the Inspector General was notified and the Monterey County Coroner will determine Spengler’s official cause of death.

Espino was sentenced to life with the possibility of parole in January after being convicted on multiple charges, including attempted first-degree murder. The case involved Espino trying to kill his father by severely beating him and setting fire to his mobile home as he lay unconscious on the floor in Aug. 2018.

He was received at SVSP in February.

Spengler was sent to SVSP from Los Angeles County to serve life without the possibility of parole for first-degree murder and second-degree murder. He was convicted of the deaths of two people in separate shootings a month apart in 2013.

He arrived at SVSP in August 2022.

Stay with News Channel 3 for any updates.